Mythology
by PasifiKStaR
Summary: COMPLETE! As children, Quistis, Selphie, and Rinoa lived for Matron's myths of an ancient kingdom. As adults, they are woven into the myths they once lived for. SxR, SxQ, IxS
1. Children's Stories

**Mythology**  
_Chapter One: Children's Stories_  
By PasifiKStaR 

**Author's Note**: Yes, it's another AU. -_-;; This is probably going to be the most confusing story I've ever written. If you read it and have no idea what's going on or are immediately turned away by the first few pages, I'm sorry. I'm just writing for fun. But thank you for stopping by! On a side note, a Janisary (sp) was, I guess you would call it, a class of Turkish soldiers that dealt with explosives during the Ottoman Empire. 

*All Standard Disclaimers Apply: I do not own Final Fantasy (or the Ninja Turtles).

* * *

"Mommy! Mommy! Hurry, let's GO! Let's GO!!" Rinoa tugged on her mother's dress. Her large brown eyes looked up at the beautiful woman as they headed up the drive way to Rinoa's babysitter's house. 

"I know, honey, I know..." Julia said with a warm smile. She pried Rinoa's hands off her dress and then took them into her own. They jogged up the hill to the quaint house, all the while holding hands. As they walked up the pathway to the front lawn, a shiny new silver luxury sedan pulled up to the house. 

"It's Quisty!" Rinoa cheered loud. She jumped up and down, dressed in her baby blue overalls and her white shirt with the angel wings on her back. Her short dark brown hair was parted down the middle and in pig tails as she made her mother stop on the brick pathway. "Wait! We have to wait for her!" 

One of the back seat doors opened and a little girl with braided blond hair half way down her back, stepped out of the car. She held a small black bag over her shoulder as she dusted off her navy blue and white private school uniform. 

"Your father will pick you up on Monday, Quistis," her mother's sultry voice said from the driver's seat of her car. "Have a good weekend at Matron Edea's." 

"Yes, mother." Quistis said. She bowed her head once at her mother before closing the door. As she stepped back, her mother drove away, leaving the eight year old girl standing there alone. 

"Quisty!" Rinoa's high pitched voice sounded. Quistis turned around and her solemn face filled with joy. 

"Rin! Auntie Julia!" Quistis gushed with joy as she ran forward. Her plaid overalls reached her knees as crisp white socks and shiny black shoes hit the ground. 

"Hello, Quistis!" Julia said. She offered her other hand to the little blond, who took it ecstatically. "Are you excited? It's your first weekend here." 

"It's our first sleep over, isn't it, Quisty!?" Rinoa asked energetically. 

Quistis nodded. "Yes! I brought my new night gown and some books and my doll!" 

"I brought my chocobo yellow pajamas, my coloring book, AND..." Rinoa let go of her mother's hand as she dug through her vinyl back pack. "THIS!" 

Quistis' blue eyes went wide and she pushed her thin glasses up her nose. "Whoa..." 

"Oh yeah..." Rinoa smirked proudly. "64 colors..." 

"It's like a rainbow..." Quistis mumbled as Rinoa waved the new pack of crayons in front of her. 

Julia sighed and shook her head. "All right, girls, let's go," she said. "I bet Selphie's already there, waiting for you." 

"Selphie!!" Rinoa and Quistis shouted. They immediately abandoned Julia on the pathway as they raced up the steps to their sitter's house. Quistis, being the taller of the two, quickly pressed the door bell. "Ring it more!" 

"They'll hear us the first time," Quistis assured her. Just as Julia reached them the door opened and a kindly woman dressed in a dark colored one piece dress appeared. "Matron!" 

"Matron!!!" Rinoa shrieked as well. 

"My, you girls are certainly active this afternoon," Edea chuckled. Her long black hair went straight down her back as she opened the door and let the three of them in. "Julia, tell me you didn't give Rinoa any sugar." 

"Of course not!" Julia gasped, pretending to be shocked. She smiled. "But since you reminded me...Rinoa, honey, do you want some chocolate?" 

"YES!" Rinoa shouted as she turned to her mother. 

Edea sighed and shook her head. "I shouldn't have said anything..." she chuckled. "Selphie! Selphie, the others are here!" 

"Whoo-hoo!!" a voice shouted from the living room and out shot a yellow clad little girl with short brown hair and large green eyes. She was holding two action figures, one in either hand. She was barefoot and her yellow shirt had a few stains on it. "Hi!" 

"Hi!" the other two little girls waved energetically as Selphie joined them. 

"All right," Julia said. "Rinoa, I'm going to go back now. BEHAIVE." 

"Of course!" the little brunette replied, mischief written all over her face. 

"Oh, Hyne..." Julia sighed. She turned to Edea. "Edea, if she does ANYTHING wrong, just call us and I'll pick her up." 

Edea chuckled and nodded. "Of course, Julia, but you know they're perfect angels." 

"See, mommy? You heard Matron! I'm an angel," Rinoa said as she began to try to turn her mother around and push her out the door. "You can leave now!" 

"My, aren't WE pushy..." Julia said with a raised eyebrow. 

"Mom...!" Rinoa whined. 

"Okay, okay..." Julia said. "I'll see you on Sunday, Edea. Bye, girls!" 

"BYE!!" the trio shouted. Julia walked out the door and Rinoa let out a hoot. "Yeah! Let's go play!!" 

"I brought all my entire set of _Ninja Turtles_!" Selphie shout energetically. "Quistis, you be Splinter!" 

"I don't want to be a rat!" the upscale blonde scoffed in horror. 

"But he's all knowing!" Rinoa insisted. "You HAVE to be Splinter! You're the smart one!" 

Flattered, Quistis nodded. "Oh...okay then..." 

Rinoa snickered as Quistis followed Selphie into the living room where she had set up an entire area with books and couch cushions as their battle field. Rinoa looked up at Matron. "Works every time..." 

Edea giggled and ushered her into the room with the other girls. "So what do you girls want to eat for dinner?" Selphie opened her mouth to reply, but Edea cut her off. "Selphie, your grandma said no more macaroni." 

"Fine..." Selphie sighed. 

"Matron, can you make spaghetti?" Rinoa said. "It's my FAVORITE!" 

"Yes, spaghetti is good!" Quistis said. Selphie nodded. 

Edea looked at the trio who now sat all over the floor of her living room with concern. The last time they had eaten spaghetti, the girls had played with their food and Selphie even went so far as to put her bowl on her head and proclaim she was blond 'like Quisty'. 

"Um..." Edea said. "Anything ELSE?" 

"No, spaghetti is good." 

Edea sighed. "All right...but let's not have a remake of LAST time." The girls snickered and nodded obediently. 

"Matron!" Quistis said before the woman headed to the kitchen. "Matron, will you tell us one of your stories tonight?" 

"Yeah! The one about the ancient city with the prince and stuff!" Selphie added. 

"You mean the Centra myths?" Edea asked. Quistis nodded. Edea was originally from Centra and when she had begun to baby-sit the trio, she had told them the stories from when she was a child. She smiled proudly. "Do you really like them?" 

"They're the bestest!" Rinoa said loudly. Edea laughed and nodded. 

"All right. At bedtime, I'll tell you the story-" 

"I want a LONG story!" Selphie said. "Tell it to us while we're eating!" 

Edea raised an eyebrow, but smiled and nodded. "All right, dear. I'll tell you a long one." 

* * *

"The Centra we know today isn't the Centra that was so thousands of years ago. So keep this in mind," Matron said as she put bowls of spaghetti in front of each of the girls. "This means that there were no cars. No electricity. No _Ninja Turtles_." she added. 

Selphie giggled and began to dig into her bowl. Quistis was carefully wrapping the noodles around her fork and Rinoa was poking at it. "That's okay. They're still good." Selphie asserted. 

Edea chuckled. "All right...where should I start?" 

"The fall Centra!" Rinoa stated loudly. "That's my favoritest story!" 

"Yes, yes...but start eating." 

"Okay..." Rinoa sighed. She opened her mouth and began to eat. 

"The fall of Centra's ancient capitol happened thousands of years ago-" 

"Before you?" Selphie asked cautiously. Edea raised an eyebrow at Selphie. 

"Yes, Selphie, before me..." she sighed. "It was right around the area where I lived as a child. The ancient city was then just called Centra, after the country. It was ruled by a king and queen and their adopted son was the heir. 

For hundreds of years, the city and Centra itself was considered untouchable to the other countries. But over the years the other kingdoms grew jealous and so they mounted armies to come and invade the prosperous nation. So the Prince rode out with his entourage, which included his cousin, who was born into the warrior class of their world. 

Together, they defeated the invading nations and returned to Centra in victory. It was when they returned that the Prince was told that it was time for him to get married. Of course, being the rebellious spirit that he was, he blatantly refused and sought shelter with his friends." 

"Who were his friends again?" Selphie asked. She had sauce all over her face and Matron reached out of wipe her. 

"The Lady was his cousin, then there was her body guard. Then there was that guy from the royal guard, the janisary, and the temple boy." Edea said. 

"What's a janisary...?" Rinoa said as she slurped up a noodle. 

"It's a soldier who works with explosives and ammunition." Quistis replied. 

"Cool! He can make things blow up!" Selphie piped. 

"He did more than that, Selphie," Edea said. "Shall I continue?" 

"Yes!" the trio chorused. 

"Well, the royal guard's cousin was a young woman who worked at her uncle's store. She worked there with two childhood friends. The daughter of a philosopher at the Academy and the daughter of a General." 

"My dad's a general!" Rinoa piped. 

Edea smiled and nodded. "Yes, and like your father, he was always off at war to protect his country," Rinoa smiled proudly. "When the Prince met the three girls, he fell in love with the wise daughter of the philosopher. But she thought him nothing but an arrogant, ignorant man." 

Quistis nodded. "He was probably spoiled, too." The other two girls giggled. 

"And spoiled he was, for he pursued her. And then, one day, without her knowledge, he announced to all of Centra that he was going to marry her." 

"Without her knowing!?" Quistis gasped in horror. "That...that..." 

"Meanie!" Rinoa concluded. 

"Yes! That meanie!" Quistis insisted. 

"What did the wise daughter do?" Selphie asked. 

"The wise daughter had a lot of pride and she had secretly developed affection for him in the time that he pursued her. So she agreed, knowing that he would need help ruling the country and she would be able to help him." Edea told them. 

"Figures..." Quistis sighed. "Boys are stupid." 

"Yeah, they're icky..." Selphie giggled. 

"What about his friends, Matron?" Rinoa asked. She was now picking stray spaghetti off the table. 

"Well, his cousin supposedly ran off with her body guard after she was to marry another man," Edea said. "And Rinoa, don't eat those." 

"Sorry..." 

"The janisary fell in love, too, right Matron?" Selphie asked. 

"He fell in love with his friend's, the royal guard's, cousin. The shopkeeper," Edea continued. "It was a friendly love and they were very easy going around each other." 

"What about the temple boy?" Rinoa asked. 

"Rinoa likes the temple boy!" Selphie piped. Rinoa blushed and shook her head wildly. 

"I do not!" Rinoa gasped, horrified that Selphie even said such a thing. 

"She's blushing!" Quistis concluded. "She must really like him!" 

"Stop it! No I don't!" Rinoa fumed. 

"Girls, stop..." Edea told them. "Rinoa does not like the temple boy." 

"See!?" Rinoa pouted. 

"But even if she did, it is understandable," Edea smiled. "He was a sweet young man, callused by life. He seemed cold and nothing more but a diligent warrior and priest, but many women fell for him." 

"Why would they fall in love with someone like that?" Selphie frowned. "Especially if he's cold and mean." 

"He was a boy of good family and was highly respected. Many families wanted their daughters to marry him," Edea told them. "But he didn't love any of them and ignored them." 

"So what happened?" Rinoa asked, now finishing up her food. 

"One night he was going to light the torch in the temple when he found the General's daughter lost within. She had been looking for her friends when she took a wrong turn. They say that they fell in love the moment they met and that when their eyes met, a star flew across the sky." Edea recited. 

The girls were now all staring at her in wonder. "Wow..." they chorused. 

"Are you girls done with dinner?" 

"YES!" 

"All right, why don't you go play while I clean up?" Edea asked. "I'll finish the story at bed time." 

* * *

Rinoa stood in front of the mirror, standing on a step stool as she brushed her teeth. Next to her, Quistis was brushing her teeth and by the toilet, was Selphie, also brushing her teeth. Rinoa smiled into the mirror and then spat out the minty white foam. 

She reached for her towel and wiped her face. "What do you think happened to the city of Centra?" 

Quistis spat out the foam and put her tooth brush away. "I think that it's buried somewhere beneath Centra. I heard that a big part of it became a desert a long time ago." 

"You think it's there?" Rinoa asked. Quistis nodded. 

"Wef haf ta oo dar um dai!" Selphie said. The other two girls looked at her. 

"Spit it out, Selphie..." Quistis sighed. 

Selphie spit out the tooth paste and smiled. "I said I think that we have to go there some day." 

"Oh..." the girls chorused and nodded. Selphie hopped off the toilet, where she had been standing on, dressed in green pajamas with Michelangelo, the _Ninja Turtle_ plastered on her chest. They were undoubtedly BOYS' pajamas, but she didn't care. 

"Let's go!" Rinoa said as she walked out the door. "Matron's going to finish the story! I want to know what happens." 

"But you already know what happens." Quistis said, dressed in a frilly pink night gown and little matching pink slippers. 

"Then I want to know what happens AGAIN!" Rinoa insisted. She raced off into the large bed that the three of them would sleep in that night. Matron was already there, pulling a chair close to the bed when Rinoa leapt into the air, using a technique she had learned in ballet, and into the bed. 

"Rinoa!" Edea gasped as the girl landed into the soft, fluffy mounds of pillows and blankets. She grinned lopsidedly as she appeared from underneath the comforter only to be tackled by Selphie. "Selphie!" 

"Whee!" Selphie squealed loudly. She and Rinoa laughed as they scrambled for the best spots on the bed. Selphie got the middle and Rinoa got the side closest to Matron. That meant that the other side was left for Quistis. 

"Oh, man..." the little blond pouted, her hair having been brushed straight. "Why do I get the end?" 

"First come first serve!" Rinoa grinned. The blond grumbled and crawled into the large bed. 

"Shall I begin?" Edea asked as they snuggled into the bed. They all began to nod their heads, when Selphie gasped. 

"Wait!" she gasped. "I left Michelangelo in the bathroom! Let me get him!" Selphie scrambled out of the bed, much to the annoyance of the other two. She fell off the foot of the bed with a thump. "I'm fine!" she stated loudly as she quickly got up and raced out the door. 

"What's so good about mutant turtles?" Quistis mumbled. "I don't get it?" 

"They fight crime," Rinoa answered, as if it were so obvious. "And eat pizza." 

Quistis squinted her eyes and gave Rinoa a look of confusion. Just then, Selphie raced back in, holding her favorite action figure with the nunchuku. "Ta-da!" she shouted as she jumped back into the bed. She scurried back to her spot. "Thanks for not stealing my space, Quisty." she said with a cheesy grin. 

Quistis then realized that she could've. "Fudge!" she frowned. The other two giggled and Edea dimmed the lights slightly. 

"All right," Edea said with a warm smile. "Rinoa, did you want to find out what happened to the temple boy?" 

"Yeah, your boyfriend..." Selphie coaxed. Rinoa flushed and shook her head. 

"Selphie, don't tease her," Edea scolded. Selphie snickered, but nodded her head. "Well, one night, while he was in the observatory reading the stars, the General's daughter came in. They talked for a while and she found out that he could tell her if she was lucky or not based on the day she was born. So, being the curious girl that she was, told him. But it turns out that she was unlucky." 

"Aww..." Rinoa frowned. 

"How?" Quistis asked. 

"He said that she was born under an unlucky star." 

Quistis snorted slightly. "That's not real," she shrugged. "The stars can tell you if you're lucky or not. They're just balls of burning gas billions of miles away. Some of which might actually have burnt out by the time their light reaches here-" 

"Quistis," Edea said, her tone slightly scolding. "This is a myth...a story," the woman chuckled warmly. "Aren't you thinking too much into it?" 

Quistis blushed and nodded. "She has to," Rinoa grinned. "She's the smart one." 

Edea sighed. "Well, one night, on the eve of the Prince and the wise daughter's wedding, there was a grand celebration at the palace. All their friends were there." 

"Did they wear pretty dresses?" Rinoa asked. Edea nodded. "And dance?" Edea nodded once more. 

"The prince and his beloved danced for hours. Just before they were to end the celebration, he presented her with beautiful jewelry box he himself had excavated on one of their campaigns," Edea said. "It was an elaborate metal box, carved with intricate words - words from a world long gone. It had a lock on it and he admitted that he couldn't find the key, but it was so beautiful, he had to give it to her." 

"Did she open it?" Selphie asked, her eyes wide. 

Edea shook her head. "She thanked him and went to show it to her friends. When the General's daughter reached out and touched it, it's crystal lock began to glow and she jumped back. The wise daughter dropped the box and screamed as began to crackle with unholy light. 

The king sent his guards to stop it as the prince ran to his beloved and held her protectively against him. The shopkeeper girl ran to the janisary who loved her and called to the General's daughter, telling her to retreat. But her eyes, the General's daughter's eyes, were transfixed on the glowing box. 

She couldn't hear the sound of the temple boy's words as he ran towards her, desperately stretching out his hand to grab her. She reached out and touched the box once more as it floated in front of them, spewing out dark colored light. The lid slowly opened to reveal a deep red lining and a hazy black ball. 

The black ball was smoking and glowing slightly. All around the General's daughter, soldiers were trying to fight it back as it rose into the air. It hovered over her and she lifted her head to look up at it. People were shouting and vacating the palace. Her friends tried to get to her, but were held back by an impossibly strong wind tunnel. 

She stood alone, staring up at the glowing ball of light. Suddenly, it flew down, throwing itself into her chest. Her eyes went wide as she let out a scream." 

*CRASH!* The girls screamed suddenly as they heard thunder outside. Edea stopped her story and turned around. "Oh, dear..." she said. 

The three girls huddled in the middle of the bed, hugging Selphie. "Matron, what's that?" Selphie said in a tearful voice. 

"What happened!?" Rinoa piped as she hugged Selphie. 

Edea went to the window and closed the blinds and then the curtains over it. "It's all right girls," she assured them with a small smile. "It's just the rain." 

There was another loud crash and the girls jumped. "It's just...thunder..." Quistis stammered nervously. "No need to be scared..." 

"Then why are you still clinging on to Selphie?" Rinoa asked, a hint of amusement in her voice. 

Even Edea had to laugh as Quistis threw her arms off the little green eyed girl. "Ahem..." Quistis said as she tired to regain her composure. "Please continue, Matron." 

"Of course, Quistis," the woman smiled. "Settle down girls." 

"We're settled!" 

"What happened to the General's daughter?" Rinoa asked as she reluctantly let go of her friend. 

"Yeah, what was that black ball of smoke?" Selphie added. 

"That was the magical spirit of an ancient sorceress," Edea said, moving her hands over them to add to the effect. "Many years before, she was sealed away into a magic box. Whoever opened the box would be the next sorceress and she would take their body and use it as her own!" 

"Oh no!" Rinoa gasped. 

"So the General's daughter became evil?" Selphie asked. Edea nodded. 

"What happened to her?" Quistis asked in a quiet voice. 

"The ancient sorceress took over the General's daughter's body so that she was now the evil sorceress. They say that the night that she returned, it rained because the world was crying. And it was because that for a whole year, the sorceress let loose all her powers on the world to bring it into submission." Edea explained. 

"How did they beat her?" Selphie whispered. Outside, they could hear the sounds of the rain falling. 

"The prince took his entourage and vowed to bring down the sorceress. His wife was in tears, knowing that if he killed the sorceress, he would kill her best friend. The General's daughter had been like everyone's sister in the short time she had known them and they cared for her greatly. For the temple boy, she was his true love. 

Despite the issues at hand, what needed to be done, had to be done and so the group trekked on to find the sorceress. When they found her, they fought for five days and five nights and on the fifth night she was finally beaten." 

"She DIED!?" Rinoa gasped. 

"You knew she was going to," Quistis said with a roll of her eyes. "You've heard the story a ton of times!" 

"Quisty, shh!" Rinoa said, bringing her index finger to her lips. 

"How did she die again, Matron?" Selphie asked. 

"It was her lover, the temple boy, who killed her," Edea said softly, in a sad voice. "He faced her alone at the very top of her palace. He begged the sorceress to let his beloved go, but the sorceress only replied that she was his beloved. As she laughed at him, he fell to his knees in anguish. It was then that the spirit of the General's daughter broke through and begged him to kill her. 

He didn't want to, but she begged him to end her pain. While the two souls were fighting for the one body, the temple boy shoved his sword into her chest. She died in his arms but her body turned to ashes. The moment that the sorceress entered her body, she had died. The temple boy wanted to die as well, but the prince and the others refused to let him. 

He swore to protect Centra and the world that his beloved cared for so deeply that when he died, he said that he would come back whenever he was needed. And the prince and his entourage said that if he came back, so would they." 

"So then what happened?" Rinoa asked. 

"Then, the three little girls went to sleep," Edea said with a warm laugh. The girls let out a series of groans. She went around the bed, tucking them in, before she turned off the lights. "Good night, dears." 

"Good night, Matron!" they chorused. The woman moved the chair back to where it was in the corner of the room and then left the room. She closed the door behind her. 

"Do you think that she'll come back?" Rinoa whispered in the dark. 

"Who?" Selphie asked. 

"The sorceress!" 

"If she does, that means that the prince and his entourage will come, too," Quistis said. "I'd like to meet them." 

"But it's just a story," Selphie said with a yawn. "It's a myth...right?" 

Quistis nodded and snuggled into the bed as her eyes grew heavy. "A myth... always has some basis on reality..." 

* * *

_Fifteen Years Later_

"All right!" a high pitched voice shouted as two skinny arms were raised. A young woman directed four men to lift up a heavy stone box on a stretcher. "Keep it steady! Let's get this over to the research tent!" 

The sun was beating down in the desert as a series of tents, trucks, and equipment lined an area by a small well. Beneath the largest tent was a platform where a bunch of computer equipment was kept. Tables lined the area as the well set up shelter withstood the blistering desert night winds. 

Down the dusty path way was the residence tents, most were set for groups while others were set for lone individuals. Individuals like the lead archeological historian, Doctor Quistis Trepe, who was leading the research over the dig. 

"Quistis!" another voice shouted. A beautiful blond twenty three year old woman looked up from the computer she was using to do a three dimensional scan of an ancient vase. She was wearing beige khakis, work boots, and a dark pink T-shirt. Her straight blond hair was swept up into a bun while two bangs framed her pretty face. 

She adjusted her glasses as she looked towards the entrance of a tent where a young woman wearing jeans and a black tank top and hiking boots was waving. "Is it out?" Quistis asked. 

"Yep, Selphie's having them bring it in," the dark haired girl with the brown eyes answered. "Where do you want it?" 

"Umm..." Quistis looked around the somewhat crowded tent. "Help me move these cables!" she said. She stood up off her chair and along with the other girl, moved aside some cables from lights and equipment. "All right, Rin, have her bring it in." 

"Selphie!" Rinoa called out. She began to pin the flap of the door way to the side as she looked out. "Selphie! You can bring it in now!" 

"All right, you heard her!" Selphie shouted. She was dressed in a pith helmet, khaki shorts and a yellow shirt underneath a long sleeve, white cotton shirt. She had boots on and was waving in some men who were carrying a large box. 

"Careful," Rinoa said as they walked past her. They put it on the ground gently. "All right, guys! Thanks!" 

"That's it for today guys!" Selphie added. "Get some rest!" The four men who were carrying the box left and Selphie removed her helmet. She grinned as she knelt next to the box. It was about three feet by two feet, but was carved from stone, so it was relatively heavy. Ivory handles were all around the box. 

Quistis knelt down next to it and gently touched it's sides. "Wow..." she murmured. She smiled widely, unable to contain herself. "We finally found it." 

"The Centra Tablets..." Rinoa said as she joined them. "I can't believe we found them." 

"Researchers have been looking for these for years," Quistis mumbled as she caressed the dusty handles. "And we go digging and not only find the tombs to Centra's greatest warriors, but the entire city AND the fabled tablets. It's like a dream." 

"Well...?" Selphie said as she looked at the other three. "Let's open it!" 

"Hold on," Quistis said. "I want do to a scan of it first. Then we can open it up." 

"Okay..." Selphie sighed. She looked back down at the white stone box and giggled. "I wonder what Matron would say if she saw this." 

"She'd say she told us so, that's what," Rinoa grinned as she sat down next to Quistis. "She'd say that Centra was real and that her stories weren't just stories." 

"Myths are always based on something..." Quistis said. "Hand me that brush...let's start dusting this so I can get it scanned in by tonight." 

"Right." Selphie handed out brushes to the other girls and kept one for herself. Together, they began to dust away and clean the area on the carved sides of the box. Quistis insisted that she wanted as much dirt gone as possible so that the scanner could read it better. 

After three hours, the sun had set and Rinoa turned one the bright lights within the tent. The light shone on the box as Selphie and Quistis brought the a scanner over. Quistis began to slowly walk around the box, shining the scanner light over it as Selphie monitored it's progress on the computer. 

Rinoa stood by the door way when someone walked in and tapped her on the shoulder. She turned around and smiled. "Yes, Nida? What is it?" 

"Dinner's being served in the mess hall," he reported. He looked over at the box and let out a whistle. "Looks heavy." 

"It IS heavy," Selphie said. "Okay, Quistis, we got it!" 

"Great," Quistis said with a smile. "Set up a new scan so I can get the top panels." 

"Right," Selphie said. "Hey, Nida, we'll grab something to eat as soon as we finish this and lock it up." 

"Do you need help?" Nida asked. "I can get some of the guys to come by-" 

"Relax, we can handle it," Rinoa assured him. "Don't worry." 

"All right, but if you guys need any help, just come by." Nida said. The girls nodded and Quistis put the scanner down. 

"It's all been scanned. How did it come out, Selphie?" she asked. She walked over to the computer and Rinoa followed. 

"Wow, that's really good," Rinoa commented thoughtfully. "You can barely make out any of the dust." 

"Well, we did spend a lot of time cleaning it." Selphie giggled. 

"Okay, let's get this thing packed up and grab some food!" Quistis said. The girls pushed the box over to a secluded area in the tent. Rinoa went to the controls and began to type in the code for the security system on that particular tent. There were only three people who had the access code - her, Quistis and Selphie. 

"The alarm is on," Rinoa said. "Is it in place?" 

Quistis finished setting up four metal, knee high poles around the box. She turned on the switch on each of them and watched as dozens of little red lasers flew across the box. "All set!" 

"Great!" Selphie said as she locked up the rest of the equipment. Her stomach grumbled and she rubbed her stomach. "I'm starving! Let's go eat!" 

The trio walked out of the tent and waited for Quistis to seal the door and lock it. They had the latest technology from a company in Esthar. It seemed that the owner was an alumni of Quistis and Rinoa's university and was heavy interested in Centran mythology. When Quistis proposed a search to find part of the ancient city, half of academia laughed at her. The other half claimed it couldn't be done. 

But the President of Esthar, a kind middle aged man, gladly poured out the money and supplies for the research project. As a result, they had not only the best research equipment, but also the best security system. The entire area was laced with a high sensor security system that was constantly recorded by Esthar satellites. 

Quistis slipped her key card into her pocket and turned to the other two. "So...what's for dinner? It better not be hot dogs again. Hyne, I'm so sick of hot dogs..." 

The girls giggled. "I think that we're having spaghetti," Rinoa recalled. "I hope we get there before all the sauce is gone." 

"Ugh...last time we got there too late and we were stuck with DRY spaghetti..." Quistis frowned. 

"Hopefully, they learned from last time and have saved a lot for us," Selphie said cheerfully. Up ahead, they could hear the voices of the volunteers and assistant researchers in the mess hall. "The party's already started!" Selphie gasped. 

"Better, hurry, else you won't get to join in on the fun." Quistis said jokingly. 

Selphie let out a gasp of horror and shot from the group to the mess hall up the path. Quistis shook her head. "Now look what you did...she ditched us." Rinoa sighed. Quistis shrugged. 

"Let her join the fun," Quistis said. "She spent quite some time working in the caves down the hill supervising the recovery of the box." 

"Hmm..." Rinoa thought for a moment. "You know...we haven't really celebrated finding the Centra Tablets..." 

Quistis raised her eyebrow. "What exactly are you planning?" 

"I have a bottle of wine in my tent...I think now would be a good time to... um...put it to good use." she said with a smirk. Quistis grinned. 

"That does sound good..." 

"I'll be right back!" Rinoa said as she turned around. "I'll bring the wine to the mess hall! You have the glasses ready!" 

"Glasses? You mean the plastic cups!?" Quistis laughed. 

"Whatever!" Rinoa shouted over her shoulder as she ran back down the path. Quistis sighed and shook her head. As she turned around her shivered slightly. A cold wind blew through the desert and she looked around warily. 

"I better tell the others to brace their tents..." she mumbled to herself as she headed towards the mess hall. *It's going to be a windy night.* 

* * *

Rinoa walked down the path. Her tent was slightly down the hill, close to the research tent. The dust covered her black boots as she walked down the light bulb lit pathway. She smiled to herself as she looked up at the beautiful crescent moon that hung in the sky and began to think about how they had gotten to where they were now. 

Quistis was a child prodigy. When she was three, she was already attending school and by fourteen, started her undergraduate years in college. Three years later, she graduated with full honors and was accepted into a graduate school, where she attained her Ph.D. and became a professor in ancient studies. 

Selphie had done so-so in high school and amazingly got into a top university. She claimed it was all her extra curricular activities. She got her bachelor of arts degree in folk and religious studies before she went on to work at non profit organizations in Deling City. 

Rinoa, the child of a Galbadian General and a pop icon, was the most rebellious of the three. After her mother died, she and her father drifted apart. She went to a private school and then college, where she had attained her degree in music and education. She had just gotten into graduate school and was under Quistis' mentorship. 

When she did, Selphie mentioned that it would've been great if they could actually find out the truth about the fall of Centra. Within a few months, Quistis prepared a plan and then, a year later, they had almost miraculously found the archeological find of the century, if not the millennia. 

Rinoa smiled proudly, knowing she had some part in it. As she reached her tent, she ducked down to get to the flap entrance. As she did so, a white light caught the corner of her eye. She paused and slowly straightened her back. She narrowed her eyes as she saw a light moving amongst the half unearthed ruins below. 

She looked over her shoulder and debated if she should call someone. She shook her head and dashed into her tent. She took out a flash light and a weapon she had taken up while in college. She fastened it to her arm and secured it on. 

A second later, she stuck her head out the flap of her tent and slowly snuck outside. The wind was starting to pick up around her and she made a mental note to hurry back as soon as she did a quick check of the ruins. Quistis had warned her about the desert night winds. 

It took her a few minutes to finally reach the ruins of the city. While the research camp itself was up hill, by a well at the foot of rock mountains, the ancient city was buried beneath sand and dirt lower down. When Rinoa reached it, she could no longer see a light wandering around, but knew where had been. 

Cautiously, she held her valkyrie up as she shined her flash light around the paths that had been dug out to get to the ruins. She slowly made her way to the temple, where she had seen the light last. Even in the darkness, she knew the general outline of the city, as if she was home. 

She crept through the area. "Hello!" she shouted into the fallen pillars and cracked alabaster walls. "Is someone down here!?" 

She was answered with nothing more than the howling wind against the fallen city. She slowly stepped into the old temple, shivering slightly as the wind outside picked up and the desert night air settled in. She began to shine her flash light along the side of the walls. 

As she directed it into one of the empty halls, something shimmered. Rinoa paused and slowly drew the light back over that spot. Something was sparkling in the dust. Curiously, the young brunette approached it. She held her flash light up and shined it over a mound of sand and dirt at the base of a once elegantly decorated wall. 

She reached out and picked out a silver object. *A ring...* she thought to herself quietly as she lifted it up. She put the flash light over it and rubbed it gently with her fingers, cleaning off the dust. *A lion...?* 

Rinoa narrowed her eyes and put her flash light down on the ground, next to her feet. She lifted her now free right hand and rubbed the lion engraved ring between her thumb and fingers. It was heavy, but still retained it's shine. She was amazed that it hadn't oxidized and that the lion engraving was still quite clear. 

She took it into her other hand and slowly slipped it on to her right hand's ring finger. She tilted her head as she admired it against her slender fingers and stood up. Just as she did, she heard the wind howl outside and she whirled around. 

Suddenly, her head felt heavy as she stumbled backwards. Her head began to pound as she lifted her left hand to her head and rubbed it. She couldn't stop herself from stumbling around as it seemed that the world had suddenly began to move beneath her. 

*Earthquake!* her mind screamed as her heart pounded in her chest. Rinoa looked around, desperately looking for her flash light. She bent down and reached for it when the excess amounts of dirt and sand in the room flew up. 

She screamed as sand shot up around her, whirling around her body like a vortex and she was trapped within. She couldn't figure out where she was going as her hair and clothes were thrown from side to side with each swirling gust. 

Her mind was spinning. Her body felt extremely heavy and she realized she was loosing control of her balance. Her eyes opened as she fell backwards. Above her, a massive hole in the temple ceiling that looked up into the clear sky. 

As if she was floating downwards, she was able to recall every detail as she fell. The inky sky. The glittering stars. The smiling moon. The sand flying over the top of the temple and whirling around her. Her eyes grew heavy as they began to blur and close. 

She struggled to keep her brown orbs open as her body fell backwards. It was all in vain. She could still see the sky above her, clouded by a sea of sand caused by a desert storm. And lastly, as she felt two arm catch her right before she hit the ground, two blue eyes. The most gorgeous eyes she'd ever seen. 


	2. Mysterious Strangers

**Mythology**  
_Chapter Two: Mysterious Strangers_  
By PasifiKStaR

**Author's Note**: The time period and style that the 'myth' is in is Greco-Roman. Hopefully that will explain the use of togas and the descriptions I'll be making of the places. And thanks for the positive response everyone! The story is kind of a bit far-fetched, I'll admit, so I hope you guys stick with it. Sorry about it being so slow.

All Standard Disclaimers Apply: I do not own Final Fantasy.

* * *

She opened her eyes and looked around. I feel so tired... she thought. She turned her head slowly and squinted her deep brown eyes as they wandered her surroundings This looks just like the exhibition at the Deling City museum. Her eyes roamed the intricately carved, white stone walls as an open peaked ceiling allowed the gorgeous night sky to flutter in. 

Rinoa looked up at walls, where lanterns were hanging about a foot below the ceiling and held up by metal chains as flames danced within them. She made a little circle in her place as she took all of the building in. When she turned around, she saw an open area before her. The hall she was in was part of a four sided building that had it's inner side lined with doric columns and facing a neatly kept garden.

She took a step forward, her eyes focused on the few torches that lit the garden along the stepping stone path. She was able to make out the stone paths that were laid out from each side of the building to the center of the garden, where an elegant statue stood. Looking around and making sure she was alone, she stepped down on to the stone path closest to her and walked towards the center.

Rinoa looked up at the massive stone goddess, whose angel wings were folded around her, covering her naked body with long feathers of white marble. In her hands was a tilted vase that poured water over a human sized spinning sphere she looked down upon fondly. As another source of water moved underneath it, the sphere moved in it's niche. Rinoa looked around and realized that water ran around each of the stone steps on the path way. They all lead to pool surrounding the goddess statue in the center of the garden.

She stood there in awe and unconsciously lifted the hems of her light blue and white toga robes as she seated herself on a stone bench that faced the statue. As soon as she sat down, she suddenly realized what she was holding and looked down. Her eyes went wide and she gasped. Where were her clothes from earlier?

"What are you doing here?" a voice barked behind her sternly. She shot up off her chair and whirled around, her dark hair flying over her face as she turned. From where she was standing earlier, there was now a figure dressed in white robes with a black over robe. He was holding a torch up and was approaching her with caution. "This part of the temple is closed off for the festival." he added in a cool, but authoritative voice.

Rinoa looked around nervous and opened her mouth to speak. "I'm sorry," she gasped. "I was looking for my friends and got lost within the temple." Rinoa felt her mouth move, but the words were not her own. She had meant to ask him where she was. Afraid that she was going to get scolded once more, she looked down shame.

"Whatever." the man in the robes mumbled. She lifted her head to look up at him and ended up gazing into two blue eyes. They were a crystalline color, clear, and seemingly cold looking. They were framed by dark lashes and finely shaped brows underneath unruly dark brown hair. He stared at her silently and slowly she began to blush as his never ending gaze.

"I'm sorry...you must be a temple priest," she stammered nervously. "Can you please tell me how to get back to the festival?" Her heart was beating. It was strong and steadily quickening as well. To make things worse, her face suddenly felt warm.

"I'll show you," he said as casually as he could. He seemed to will himself to turn away from her. "Follow me." He had turned around, half way down the path to the center of the garden, and headed back up to the temple.

"Thank you," Rinoa said cheerfully, pleased that she wasn't in trouble. He headed up the path way and she followed behind him. "My name is Rinoa by the way." she said, trying to make small talk.

"I see." he mumbled. They stepped back into the hall way and Rinoa chewed on her bottom lip. When he didn't give his own name, she began to feel quite stupid. She took a deep breath and decided to ask him straight.

"Um...what...what's your name?" she asked nervously.

They were walking down the craved white walled halls of the temple and he carried a torch in front of them. He turned and looked at her over his shoulder. Stray dark brown bangs fell over his lovely eyes wistfully and Rinoa felt her heart skip a beat. "Sq-"

* * *

"RINOA!" 

She could hear them calling her name, but they sounded so far away. Their voices seemed like nothing more than an echo to her. "Rinoa, where are you?"

Was she lost? Why were they looking for her? She knew exactly where she was... at a temple. "Rinoa! Are you down here?"

"Answer us!" another voice pleaded.

His name... she thought to herself. Wait...he didn't tell me his name yet...

"There she is!" someone shouted. "Over here! We found her!"

"Oh, thank Hyne!" a female voice shouted. She heard footsteps rushing around her. She felt their the ground move under her as people stepped around her. "Rinoa!" Arms were suddenly around her body, cradling her. "Rinoa, it's Quistis! Rinoa, can you hear me?"

"Wait..." Rinoa whispered dumbly. Her eyes opened a tiny bit, barely revealing her dark eyes under her even darker lashes.

"Zone, Watts! Help me carry Rinoa back to her tent! Selphie, go get the first aid kit and some damp towels!" Quistis ordered as she knelt down next to her friend, cradling the younger girl's upper body in her arms.

"I'll be there when you get there!" Selphie said. She shot out of the temple where they had found Rinoa sprawled out on the ground. Half her body was covered with a thin layer of sand and it looked like she had dropped her flash light not too far from her.

In her semi-conscious daze, Rinoa could feel someone put their arms under her back and knees and lift her up. "Be careful!" she heard Quistis' worried voice plead.

"What..." Rinoa struggled to speak and Quistis turned to her as one of the volunteers carried her out of the temple.

"Shh...Rinoa..." Quistis told her as calmly as she could. Rinoa could still hear the nervousness in her voice. "Just rest. Don't worry, everything is fine."

Rinoa's eyebrows furrowed. She didn't care about that. What about the man at the temple? "Where..." she gasped out tiredly. Her throat felt extremely dry all of a sudden and she winced. "Where is he...?"

"She's delusional," a male voice said above her. "Maybe we should take her to a doctor?"

"Watts! Go call for a doctor from town!" Quistis said.

"Right!" another male voice shouted to her left. Rinoa winced as a throbbing pain shot through her head.

"It's okay, Rinoa," she heard Quistis tell her reassuringly. "Just get some rest..."

Rinoa knew she was unwilling to sleep, but her body was against her. Just before they reached her tent, where Selphie was waiting with the first aid kit and holding some white towels, Rinoa drifted off into sleep.

* * *

The morning sun created an illuminating glow on the off white colored walls of Rinoa's tent. As her eyes blinked open, winced at the sudden brightness of the room. It was probably still early in the morning, too. 

"Thank you for coming on such short notice, doctor." a voice said outside her tent.

Rinoa narrowed her eyes and slowly turned her head towards the entry flap of her tent. It was part way open, letting in more light and revealing Quistis' booted feet. She seemed to be talking to someone. A doctor...? What happened?

"Will she be all right?"

"Yes, Professor Trepe," a deep voice replied coolly. Rinoa's eyes went wide. The voice...that man's voice was familiar. "Just let her relax for a few days. She just has heat exhausted and will be fine within a few days."

"All right, thank you, doctor." Quistis added. Rinoa narrowed her eyes at the faint shadow that the doctor's voice cast on her tent and watched as he moved away and headed back down the path, probably towards his car. She heard Quistis let out a tired sigh.

"Is she awake?" a voice shouted. Rinoa watched as Quistis' feet turned her around.

"I think she's still asleep," Quistis replied. "So keep your voice down."

"I'm going to check on her," Selphie's all too familiar voice sounded. Rinoa closed her eyes as she realized they were about to enter her tent. She could feel the heat of the sun enter as they lifted the flap up and ducked into her cooler tent. "What did the doctor say?"

"Heat exhaust," Quistis answered tiredly. "I knew she'd been out in the sun too long...and then she goes down to the ruins without anyone knowing. Hyne, this has been one hell of a night."

"Did the police leave already?" Selphie asked softly. Rinoa could see, but she assumed that Quistis shook her head, for there was a pause.

"Yes, but an investigator from the government archeological bureau is supposed to arrive later," Quistis answered. "I can't believe this is happening..."

Okay, now would be the best time to 'wake up'. Rinoa thought to herself. She let out a slight groan as she slowly blinked her eyes and moved her arms at her sides.

"Rinoa!" Selphie gasped. Immediately, both women were at her side and Rinoa opened her eyes to look up at them.

"Selphie...Quistis..." she murmured tiredly. Her throat still felt dry. "What's going on...?"

Selphie looked up at Quistis, as if looking for confirmation whether or not she should explain. Quistis nodded subtly. Selphie turned back to Rinoa as she knelt down to the young woman's cot. "There was a grave robbing last night."

"What?" Rinoa gasped.

"You won't believe this," Quistis said. "But there was a huge sand storm last night and it uncovered more ruins than we expected. It's amazing! I never even dreamed that there was so much under the sand!"

"And you know those tombs we found last week?" Selphie asked. Rinoa nodded tiredly. Selphie took a deep breath. "Several of them were found open just after we found you this morning."

"What?" Rinoa gasped, her eyes wide open with shock. "No...how?" Her eyes went wide. The torches she had seen the night before! Without warning, Rinoa attempted to sit up and a sharp pain sliced through her head. She groaned as she reached for her temples.

"Rinoa, don't rush yourself!" Quistis gasped. "The doctor said to take it easy-"

"Last night..." Rinoa gasped as she rubbed her temples, trying to sooth away her pain. "I was coming here and I saw a light in the ruins."

"That's why you went down there?" Quistis gasped. She narrowed her eyes. "Rinoa, you KNOW not to go down there alone! It's dangerous! Those buildings are thousands of years old, they could cave in at any moment. And what if you had fallen into an ancient well or something? No one would know! What were you thinking?"

"I was thinking about the torch light I saw!" Rinoa snapped. She turned and looked at Quistis. "I know what I saw!"

"It must've been the grave robbers!" Selphie gasped. Rinoa nodded in agreement.

That means that I went after grave robbers...by myself. Quistis is going to kill me... Rinoa winced at the thought. "Hyne...when I got down there, I didn't hear or see anything-"

"Of course not, they were hiding!" Quistis said. "Hyne, Rinoa, don't EVER do anything that dangerous again!"

"Sorry..." Rinoa mumbled under Quistis' scolding.

"Forget it..." Quistis said. "Thank Hyne that the robbers didn't attack you..." she paused and looked at Rinoa. "Did they?"

"You were unconscious when we found you," Selphie said. "And I know you've been drinking water a lot, so you couldn't have been dehydrated."

"I don't really remember what happened..." Rinoa said. "I wandered into the temple ruins and..." Her voice slowly trailed off. Her eyes went down to her right hand, where a silver band decorated her ring finger.

"And...?" Selphie encouraged. "What happened?"

Rinoa narrowed her eyes. "I bent down...to get my flash light," she said, looking back up at the other two females. "All of a sudden, there was all this sand and wind..."

"The sand storm must've hit just then," Quistis sighed. She ran her hand through her hair. She removed her glasses and rubbed the bridge of her nose as she tilted her head down. "You were caught in it."

"All of a sudden, I had this huge head ache and fell..." Rinoa mumbled.

"Do you remember anything else?" Selphie asked. "Did you see anyone? The robbers didn't come near you, did they?" she asked nervously.

Rinoa's brown eyes narrowed slightly as she thought. Blue eyes... her mind whispered. He caught me...in his arms. And I looked up at eyes...

Quistis looked at Rinoa with worry as she noticed the young woman's far off look. "Rinoa?" she called out quietly. "Rinoa, honey, why don't you get some more rest. We'll get you some breakfast." she added, her tone concerned.

"Does your head still ache?" Selphie added. Both women were now trying to get Rinoa to lay back on her bed. "I'll get some codeine-"

"No, no, I'm fine," Rinoa insisted. She tried to get back up, but Selphie and Quistis wouldn't let her. "I can get up-"

"We'll bring you breakfast," Quistis told her as she soothed back Rinoa's hair in a motherly like fashion. "Just get some rest."

"But the ruins-"

"We can't work on them today anyway," Quistis sighed tiredly. "A government inspector is coming later to check out the vandalized tombs. The local police just called this morning."

"What was stolen...?" Rinoa asked. She had seen the tombs just two days before. They were a series of solid stone sarcophagi, each with heavy, intricately engraved lids. They hadn't opened the tombs yet, as they were still scanning the stone lids for future reference.

Quistis looked at Selphie. "Well...strangely enough, all the gold and decorations that had been buried with the bodies were still in tact."

Rinoa narrowed her eyes. "You mean...they stole the bodies?"

Selphie nodded. "Two tombs in the eastern wing, three tombs in the middle chamber, and the tomb of the prince in the main chamber."

"Oh my Hyne..." Rinoa gasped. "What would they do with...with six several thousand year old corpses? Are you sure they were stolen?"

Quistis nodded. "No trace of remains...not even the clothing they were buried in. It was like they just took the bones and the clothes that held them together and left."

"The lids of the sarcophaguses were also open," Selphie said. "If they had closed them, we probably wouldn't have noticed."

"At least until we opened them and found the missing bodies." Quistis added.

Rinoa closed her eyes and tilted her head back on her pillow. "That's why the government inspector is coming..."

"If he thinks we stole the bodies on purpose, we'll be in deep trouble with the Centran government," Quistis breathed. Rinoa realized for the first time that Quistis had bags under her eyes, probably signaling that she hadn't slept all night. "We can get in trouble with the University back in Deling City, too."

"Great..." Rinoa mumbled. "What the hell would we do with six bodies anyway...?"

Selphie shrugged. "At any rate, we can't do anything about it right now. So just get some rest."

Rinoa nodded. "I'm sorry...I should've gone to ask for help when I saw the torch light."

"No use crying over spilled milk, Rinoa," Quistis said as she headed towards the door. "Just learn not to spill it any more."

"We'll be back with something for you to eat and some medicine, okay, Rin?" Selphie added with a warm smile.

"And don't get up!" Quistis told her finally. They slipped out of the brunette's tent and Selphie closed the flap. Outside, Rinoa heard Quistis speaking to who she suspected was Watts. "Make sure she doesn't leave her tent. Doctor's orders."

"Sure thing, professor."

Rinoa groaned as she fell back on to her cot. She had attempted to sit up as soon as Selphie closed the flap on her tent. Damn Quistis...she worries too much. I'm totally fine!

As she reasserted herself of that fact, she attempted to sit up again and as soon as she reached a sitting position, her head began to throb. Mentally swearing she laid back down and cursed her luck. She closed her eyes and tried to fight back the pulsating beating in her head. First she gets knocked unconscious by being caught in a desert sand storm and basically lets robbers get away with taking six ancient bodies. Now Quistis couldn't continue the research she had worked so hard to gain access to and worse, they could be on the verge of trouble with the Centran government.

I don't GET it...it's been just a few hours and suddenly everything goes wrong... She lifted her slender fingers to her head and slowly rubbed it. She paused. And that man...Hyne, what was his name? Sq...Sq...Squash? No, that can't be it. Maybe it was some sort of ancient name. Yeah, that's it. It's probably lost in time now. But that was weird...I could've sworn when I was talking I said MY name.

Rinoa opened her eyes and stared at ceiling above her. That was the first dream she's ever had like that. All the colors, even in the dark, were so vivid. The details of the temple had been so ornate and she could make out every single carved panel. Her clothes, the soft billow light brown and white fabric that was wrapped around her like a toga had reached her ankles.

She wiggled her toes as she remembered the soft brown sandals she had been wearing in her dream. And HE was wearing white robes that also reached his feet. He had a black robe lined with gold thread over him and he had probably been doing rounds in the temple when he stumbled upon her. Try as she might, she couldn't remember if he had any jewelry on him or not. The moment her eyes rose to meet his clear gaze, she saw nothing else.

She had ached to run to him immediately and be swept up into those strong arms she knew was under those thin robes. His eyes had hypnotized her the moment she had first seen them. The moment she fell back in the ruin temple and was caught in his sight. Rinoa's eyes flew open. That had to be him! Obviously! Who else would have eyes THAT gorgeous? And if I saw him before I passed out he MUST be real!

At that thought, reasserted itself into her head, she willed herself to get up. She ignored the throbbing and slipped her legs over her the edge of her cot. Bracing herself, she pushed herself off the cot. Just then, Selphie opened the flap and let out a yelp as she saw Rinoa standing on shaky legs.

"Rinoa!" she shouted. "What are you doing? We told you not to get up!"

"I'm fine..." Rinoa insisted proudly as she held her arms out to steady herself. "I...I just need to get up a bit, that's all."

Selphie was standing by the flap, holding a plastic tray where a plate was covered by a plastic lid to keep the sand in the air from landing on the food within. She was frowning and the flap opened once more.

"Hyne, Rinoa, why don't EVER listen?" Quistis frowned as she came in.

"No, I can get up!" Rinoa insisted.

Quistis was already by her side, her hands on Rinoa's shoulders as she eased her back down on the cot. "You can sit up, but that's as far as I'm letting you go," Quistis said. "Besides, there is nothing for us to do today anyway. The ruins can't be touched until the inspector gets here and Hyne only knows when THAT will be."

"What about the tablets?" Rinoa piped. Selphie was dragging a small folding table from the corner of Rinoa's tent. Quistis took it from her and set it up so that Selphie could put Rinoa's breakfast there. "Can't we work on them?"

Selphie lifted up the lid and handed Rinoa a fork. "I will work on them for now. All I'm doing is analyzing the carved inscriptions on it. That's all." Quistis answered.

"But I can do something-"

"Yes, that's right," Selphie asserted. Rinoa's eyes lit up. "You can sit here and get better."

"But there's nothing wrong with me!" Rinoa pleaded. "REALLY!"

"Uh-huh..." Selphie said. "That's not what the doctor said."

"I don't CARE what the doctor said! I'm FINE!"

"I'm going to head back to the research tent," Quistis said as she headed towards the flap. "Rinoa, I'm still having Watts and Zone alternate times to watch your tent and make sure you stay here and rest. So don't even TRY to sneak out."

Rinoa grumbled and stabbed at her scrambled eggs. Selphie giggled and stood up. "And I have to talk to the volunteers about what's going on. But I'll be back in a few hours to check on you okay?"

Rinoa grumbled some more and looked away. "Whatever."

Still giggling, Selphie exited the tent. Rinoa ate her food, finishing up most of it, before putting the lid back on and moving the table away. Grumbling, she looked around her room. There had to be a way for her to escape...

* * *

Rinoa looked at her watch. It had been an hour. 'Ward can't possibly still be watching my tent... she thought to herself.' She craned her head towards her tent door. 

"Zone! Zone, can you wait a second!" she heard his voice outside. Rinoa mentally swore and fell back on her cot. "Hey, can you watch and make sure that Princess doesn't sneak out while I go to the bathroom?"

"Yeah, sure," another male replied. "Just hurry up."

"Right!" Watts shouted back. Rinoa heard him running from where he had been standing, to the left of her tent.

She narrowed her eyes and sat up. She quickly tossed her feet over her cot and scrambled to the flap of her tent. She pulled it open slightly and peeked outside. She could see Zone reading something a little farther from the tent than where Watts had been standing. He didn't seem to really pay attention as he opened the newspaper he was reading to one side and start to pace.

Ah, Zone... Rinoa thought with a smirk. She held the edge of her tent's flap. I can always count on you... She waited until Zone turned his back to the tent and then dashed out quickly. She scurried behind her tent and was pinned in the small little alley between rows of tents.

"Thanks, man!" Watts said as he returned. "She didn't try to sneak out did she?"

"Naw..." Zone said. "I bet she's still sleeping."

Rinoa held her snickering to herself and headed towards the ruins lower down the hill. She kept looking over her shoulder consistently as she scrambled down the rock and sand lined hill. As she slid to a stop over a ridge that over looked the ruins, her eyes went wide.

"Hyne..." she whispered quietly. For a brief moment, Rinoa was swept away. It was like she was seeing something from a dream. Just one day before, when she had been standing on that very ridge, she had seen a quarter mile, at the most, of fully exposed ruins. The majority of the two miles estimated to be the Centran ruins had been half or more buried in sand and stone.

There before her now was a fallen city. Streets lined with ancient buildings had their paths cleared of all the rubble. She could see the fallen buildings, the holes in many of the old homes, even the ancient town square. And closest to them, where they had been focusing their energy, was the sprawling, but crumbled palace of ancient Centra.

The breath taking view was cut short when she realized that the researchers and volunteers could not enter the ruins. The inspector had yet to come and as far as she could see, no one was there. She looked back up at the hill where she could see the peaks of their tents. Then she looked back down at the city.

The tombs, she thought to herself. I want to see the tombs. Reasserting her thoughts, Rinoa ran down the rest of the path way and headed into the inner sanctums of the palace walls. She had to get through them to reach the temple and the 'Chambers of the Dead' as Selphie had dubbed the building that held the six tombs.

Rinoa arrived at the opening of the Chambers of the Dead. It was a circular building with a domed top that had survived. There was the main chamber, which was the entrance. Then there were three doors. One to the left, one to the right, and largest directly in front of her. The doors to the right were framed by two doric columns with a triangular frieze depicting a torch against the setting sun. Inside they found the fabled Centran Tablets that they had removed and brought to the Research Tent.

The doors to her right were also framed by columns and it's frieze above the doorway was a storm depicting moving trees and crashing lightning from the heavens. Inside the richly decorated chamber were two tombs. The smaller one was of a woman, from what they could tell from the carvings on the sarcophagus. The royal seal was at the foot of the horizontal coffin. The one next to it was a man and had the seal of a royal guard.

The double doors directly in front of Rinoa had a frieze with a cross directly in the center. To one side was a winged lion. To the other side were two seals from different branches of the military. Rinoa went through that set of doors.

She entered the secondary chamber where three stone coffins were lined in front of her. Quistis had said that they were all men from the size and carvings in the stone. Past the coffins was a door way to the final chamber. The stone doors, which had been removed and placed on the ground in the corner, when put together created one large cross. Inside was, according to Quistis, 'the most gaudy tomb' she had ever seen.

Rinoa allowed her eyes to settle. Even though the doors were opened, the room was still dimly lit. There were no windows or opening in the dome roof to let in light. She looked over her shoulder, making sure that no one was following her.

Rinoa walked along side the center coffin and paused. It seems that they had been opened recently and from what she could peak from the opening, there was nothing inside but a few trinkets. Her brown eyes went over the elaborately carved lid and studied the ancient script. Holy words...

Her slender fingers rose and traced the engravings gently. As she moved her hand, it went over the lion with the wings over the chest area of the coffin. She stopped and narrowed her eyes. The silver ring on her finger had caught her eye. It's the same... she thought quietly. The lion on the ring...the lion on the coffin lid...

"Hurry up, Quistis!" a voice suddenly shouted.

Rinoa whirled around, her heart nearly stopping as her face drained of color. "I'm coming, Selphie! Just hold on!" a female voice shouted.

Rinoa gasped and ran behind the wall next to the door way. She leaned against it as she heard two sets of feet running past the Chamber of the Dead's front steps. "He said he's down here somewhere and lost!" she heard Selphie explain.

"Hyne, what kind of inspector is that?" Quistis grumbled. "How is he supposed to investigate if he gets lost in the ruins?"

As soon as they passed, Rinoa peeked outside the doors. She let out a deep breath and slowly began to make her way towards the front of the Chambers. She stopped and hid against the door way of the building so she could listen. When she was absolutely sure that Quistis and Selphie were gone, she slowly stuck her head out and looked up and down the path way.

Not a sign of them...that was close... Rinoa stepped out of the ruins and began to rush back to the research camp. She assumed that they could appear at any moment and then Quistis would give her an extremely long lecture and scold her.

As she climbed back up the hill, taking a less noticeable way to her tent, Quistis and Selphie had caught sight of the inspector, wandering around and looking confused. Quistis sighed and shook her head. As she did, she saw something from the corner of her eye and frowned as she turned her head towards the slightly sloping land above them.

"What is it?" Selphie asked, noticing that Quistis was looking up at the research camp.

"I thought I just saw Rinoa." Quistis said.

"Oh, no! Don't tell me she was sneaking down!" Selphie exclaimed. "I swear, she never could sit still..."

"No, Selphie, that's you," Quistis replied. "She just doesn't like to be trapped like that. Even if it's for her own good. At any rate, we'll question her later. Let's get the inspector before we loose him."

"Right!" Selphie said. They turned back to the short blond man who was walking towards him. He was smiling sheepishly as his spiky blond hair blew in the wind. Cheerful blue eyes greeted them. Immediately, the girls noticed the intricate tattoo on his face.

"Hi!" he said animatedly as he extended his hand. He was wearing jeans, boots, and a loose cotton work shirt over a bright red T-shirt. He had a worn leather bag at his side. "I'm Zell Dincht! I'm the inspector that Centra sent."

* * *

Rinoa finally reached her tent and wiped her brow. I need to get some water... she thought to herself. She snuck around the back of her tent and carefully looked around the corner. Crap... she thought to herself as she saw Watts standing there like some sort of sentinel.

Her mind was running quickly, trying to find a way to get back into her tent without being caught. She decided to distract him. "Watts!" she coughed out, trying to sound like she was within the tent somehow. "Get me some water! I'm thirsty!" I'm not lying... she mentally added.

"Oh no," Watts said suspiciously. "I'm not falling for it, princess."

"But really! I'm thirsty!" she gasped out.

"Hmm..." Watts frowned slightly. He stood there for a few moments, trying to decide if he should buy Rinoa's request or not. "All right...hold on..."

Yes!

"Zone! Hey, can you bring a pitcher of water and a cup for princess?" she heard him yell.

No! Rinoa felt like stamping her feet on the ground in frustration.

"Yeah, I'll be right back!" another voice replied. Rinoa looked around the tent and saw Zone run off towards the meal tent. She mentally swore as her plan to distract him backfired. She had actually made it worse. What would happen when he arrived to give her water and then she wasn't there?

Way to dig yourself a hole, Rinoa... she thought to herself miserably. Before long she heard Zone returning and looked around the tent again. Hyne! There had to be something...anything to distract them! She was on the verge of screaming as zone walked towards her tent, a plastic cup and pitcher of water in either hand.

She glared miserably at the pitcher when suddenly she heard Zone let out a yelp. She blinked and realized that the water had somehow flew out of the pitcher and all over Zone. "Whoa! You okay?" Watts immediately ran over to help his friend, who was rubbing his eyes after water had fallen all over him.

Rinoa shot out from behind her tent and dashed into her tent. She nearly dove for her cot as she fell back on it, breathing heavily at the rush. She grinned to herself. As she laid back on her cot she smiled. Ah, Zone... she thought to herself once more. I can always count on you.

* * *

"I'm sorry for the inconvenience, Professor Trepe," Zell said as he wiped his brow with a white handkerchief as the sun beat down on them. "But you can continue your research in the ruins tomorrow morning."

Quistis let out a thankful sigh and nodded. "Thank you so much Inspector Dincht-"

"Professor Trepe, it's just Zell, please." he said cheerfully. Quistis nodded.

"Well, then Zell, thank you so much," she said. "I'm glad that everything has been taken care off. I assure you, you won't have to come all the way out here again."

"I don't plan to," Zell chuckled. He put his hands on his waist and looked around the camp. "So...where should I set up my tent?"

Quistis and Selphie froze. Selphie looked at the male blond reluctantly. "Um...tent?" she asked, confused. Zell nodded.

"Yes, didn't headquarters inform you?" Zell replied questioningly. "Because of threat of another robbery and perhaps even vandalism, I'm going to be stationed here until the research is over."

Selphie and Quistis exchanged horrified looks and Quistis turned back to him. "Are you SURE? I mean...they never mentioned anything about you coming on board."

"I'm sorry to have to spring this on you all of a sudden, Professor Trepe, really," Zell assured her. "But it's my orders."

"I demand to speak to your boss immediately!" Quistis said, obviously fuming. "How do they expect me to conduct my research when someone is breathing down my neck consistently!"

"Please, Professor, I'm just here to make sure nothing else happens-"

"And HOW exactly are you going to do that?" Quistis growled. "You are one man, Zell! Surely they don't expect YOU to be security."

Zell looked down sheepishly. "I'm sorry, but those are my orders..." he trailed off.

Selphie sighed and patted Quistis gently on the shoulder. "Just calm down, Quisty," Selphie told her softly. "I'm sure that Zell won't get in the way."

"It's not about if he does or doesn't! It's the whole fact that he's here!" Quistis exclaimed proudly.

"Just calm down," Selphie continued. She looked over at Zell and offered him a weak smile. "Listen, I'll help you set up your tent and give you a tour of the camp."

"Really? Thanks!" Zell said, smiling excitedly. "I promise not to get in your way!"

Quistis merely grumbled and Selphie looked over at her. "Why don't you go check on Rinoa? You know, make sure she's still in her tent."

"And Rinoa is...?" Zell asked, his blue eyes bright and alert.

"She's the graduate student whose my assistant as well as one of my best friends," Quistis told him matter of factly. "As you already know, Selphie is head of our team of volunteers. Rinoa over sees the field studies under me and helps with the heavy research."

"Oh okay," Zell said. "I'll meet her later then?"

"Yep!" Selphie replied brightly.

"All right, I'm going to check up on her," Quistis said, glancing down at her wrist watch. "She was caught in the sand storm last night."

"Oh!" Zell said, his eyes wide. "Okay, then. I hope she's okay..."

Quistis turned and headed towards Rinoa's tent. She waved at Zone, who had already switched places with Watts. "Is she still in there?"

"She hasn't left." Zone assured her.

"Are you SURE?" Quistis said. Zone nodded. Funny...I could've sworn that I saw Rinoa scrambling up that hill earlier today... Shaking her head she knocked on the side of Rinoa's tent. "Rin, are you awake?"

"Yeah..." Rinoa grumbled inside. Quistis lifted the flap and found the young woman laying on her stomach on her cot. "See? I know what you were thinking, so I'm going to tell you right now. I did not try to run off," Quistis rolled her eyes and gave her a disbelieving look. Technically, I succeeded...not just tried. Rinoa added mentally.

"Sorry to have doubted you," she sighed. "What are you doing?"

Rinoa lifted up her sketch book. "I haven't gotten very far..." Quistis looked down at the sketched picture of two eyes in Rinoa's sketch book. It seemed that Rinoa had used a light blue colored pencil to color in the eyes. A few strokes of a pencil above the eyes depicted hair falling over them.

"That's pretty good..." Quistis said. "And you've been doing this for the last few hours?"

"I laid around most of the time."

"I see...and whose eyes are these? My eyes aren't that shade. Selphie's are green..." Quistis paused. "They're a man's eyes," she deduced. Rinoa nodded slightly, a hint of pink on her cheeks. Quistis grinned. "Did you meet someone at the club you and Selphie ran off to the other night?"

"Nope," Rinoa said. She smiled inwardly as she brought the sketch book back to her. "But, hey, maybe one day..."

Quistis chuckled and nodded. "All right, well, I'm glad to see you're sitting tight. The doctor is coming by later this evening to check up on you."

"Doctor?" Rinoa asked, confused. She frowned. "Quistis, I told you a thousand times already - I'm FINE."

"Sure..." Quistis said. She headed back towards the flap. "Whatever you say. He's only coming to make sure you're as fine as you say you are."

Rinoa grumbled. She looked back up at Quistis. "Hey...what about that inspector? Did he come yet?"

"Ugh..." Quistis groaned and ran her hand down her face. "He's been assigned to keep watch over us."

"No way!"

"Don't even get me started," Quistis said as she waved her hand to dismiss the thought. "Anyway, you'll meet him soon enough. Did you eat lunch yet?"

"Nope."

"Are you hungry?"

"Nope."

Quistis sighed. "Selphie and I will get you for dinner then," Rinoa nodded and continued with her sketch as Quistis left her tent. "Zone, take a break," she heard Quistis say. "I'll keep watch."

* * *

It was just about sun set when Rinoa woke up from a nap she hadn't even realized she had taken. She grumbled and realized she had been using her sketch book as a pillow. She let out a yelp as she pushed herself up from it, a page sticking to her cheek as she did. She grumbled and peeled it off.

At least I didn't drool on it... she thought to herself quietly. She sat up slowly and yawned. Her stomach began to grumble. Almost time for dinner...

"I hope I didn't come at a bad time, Professor." a deep voice said. Rinoa's head perked up as she closed her sketch book.

"No, this is all right," she heard Quistis' voice say. From the sounds of their voice, Rinoa assumed they were a few feet from her tent. "Right this way, doctor."

Rinoa stood up to put her sketch book on her fold out desk as her flap opened. She whirled around as Quistis entered her tent. "Hey." Rinoa said, smiling weakly. She swept back her hair, trying to straighten it out after she had fallen asleep.

"Good, you're awake," Quistis said with a smile. "Hyne, Rinoa...turn on some lights...it's getting dark."

"Sorry..." Rinoa said. She watched as Quistis walked over to the lamp on Rinoa's desk and turned it on. A dim yellow light flooded the small room.

"Excuse me?" a voice said from outside. "May I enter now?"

"Yes, doctor, go ahead," Quistis said. Rinoa turned her attention back to the flap of her tent. A pale hand pushed the flap away as a dark haired man stepped into her room. Rinoa eyes slowly widened as he slipped into her tent. Her entire body suddenly began to feel warm as her heart's beating quickened all too familiarly. The man stood up straight in front of her. He wore dark colored pants, probably of a leather material and a loose white T-shirt under a leather jacket. He was holding a black bag with some equipment as black gloves covered his hands. He was a little taller than Quistis with thick, brown hair falling over his eyes as they focused on her. "Rinoa, this is Dr. Leonhart. He's a volunteer doctor in town. Dr. Leonhart - Rinoa Heartilly."

Beautiful eyes of bluish-silver reflected the dancing light as his eyes locked on to Rinoa's brown ones. "A pleasure to meet you, Miss Heartilly." he said coolly.

Rinoa felt herself nodding as she stood there dumbly. Her heart was pounding against her breast as she looked into his hauntingly familiar eyes. Her soft lips parted and in a shaking voice, she asked, "Have...have we met?"


	3. Imposing Men

**Mythology**  
_Chapter Three: Imposing Men_  
By PasifiKStaR 

**Author's Note**: At one point planning this chapter, I got myself confused. -_-;;...Who was what? o.O Anyway, yep, Nike is probably one of the only winged figures from the ancient Greeks, however the style is also the basis for the later Renaissance period in Italy (as the ancient Roman style is based from the Greeks, but with in a sort of less perfect way because the balance isn't as good in the Roman statues as in the Greeks, it's difficult to explain in one paragraph, so we'll leave it at that). During the time under the Medicis, many in that particular style were often patrolled. So it's not so much the time period as the spawned styles reminiscent of the Greco-Roman style (which was mainly for the architecture and the togas). ^_^ On another note, I'm listening to Middle Eastern/Central Asian popular music right now, so that's what the volunteers are dancing to and playing. 

*All Standard Disclaimers Apply: I do not own Final Fantasy or the Care Bears.

* * *

"Technically yes, we have met." 

Rinoa's eyes went wide. "Re...Really?" she gasped out. Her face flooded with color as she stared at him in disbelief. 

Dr. Leonhart nodded. "You were asleep while I was checking you early this morning." Quistis let out a slight giggle as Rinoa's face fell in embarrassment and turned her head away. 

"Well, I'll leave you to your appointment," Quistis said. "Doctor, if she's putting up any sort of fight or refuses to admit that anything is wrong with her, just tell us." 

"Of course, Professor," the young man stepped aside as Quistis headed out of the tent. Rinoa was left standing there, still gaping at the young man. His cool eyes turned back to her and settled on her shaken frame. "Miss Heartilly, please have a seat." 

He motioned to her cot and she nodded as she sat down. Her dark hair fell over her face as she watched him pull her chair from under her desk and set it up in front of her. He sat down directly in front of her and their knees touched. Immediately, Rinoa felt her face burn as he reached over to his bag and pulled out a thermometer. 

She didn't even realize he was preparing it as she studied him. His eyes were focused on the task at hand as soft brown hair fell over his face. His lips were partially open as he breathed. Rinoa felt her heart beat unnaturally fast. This man was a doctor. He was going to be completely professional. However, he did seem quite young. Almost TOO young. She frowned. 

"Are you old enough to be a doctor?" she asked suddenly. Squall stopped and looked up at her. 

"Yes. Why do you ask?" The corners of his lips tugged up a bit. "You think I'm not a doctor?" 

"No! No!" she gasped up, shaking her head from side to side. "It's not that at all. I was just thinking...you look kind of young, you know." 

"Professor Trepe is a doctor and she still quite young," Squall replied. "Open your mouth," With a gentle hand he tilted Rinoa's head up to meet his gaze. At his touch, Rinoa felt her entire body get shocked. "Lift up your tongue..." he said. He held the thermometer right over her lips before tucking it under her tongue. "Well, to put your mind at ease, I am a doctor." 

Rinoa nodded slightly. As they waited for the equipment to beep, Squall reached into his bag and pulled out a stethoscope. He placed it around his neck as he took out a small leather note book. The thermometer beeped and he looked up. Rinoa opened her mouth as he took hold of it and recorded the results. 

"So...how old are you? You look not much older than me." she continued. 

"I'm older than I look." he replied casually as he cleaned the object and slipped it back into his bag. 

"How old?" 

"Old enough," he said. He closed his book, pinning a pen in between it's pages. "Now..." he lifted the stethoscope up to his ears. "Lift up your shirt a bit." 

Rinoa swallowed and continued to tell herself that it was purely professional. She tugged her shirt up and watched as he slipped his hand with the end of the instrument underneath. She felt it's cold surface touch her chest and she gasped. "Cold..." 

"Sorry," he mumbled. "Deep breath..." Rinoa did as she was told. "Good," He moved the object over her left breast. "Deep breath," Rinoa did it again, although this time she was blushing even more. She diverted his eyes away from him. "Good. Have you taken any medicine?" he asked as he pulled away from her. 

Rinoa shook her head. "I was going to take something for my headache, but I ended up just sleeping it off." 

"I see," he said. "Well, everything seems fine, Miss Heartilly-" 

"Please just call me Rinoa, doctor." Rinoa told him. He nodded. 

"My name is Squall, by the way." he added as he absent mindedly wrote down notes in his note book. Rinoa narrowed her eyes. 

"Squall...what kind of name is that?" she asked. He paused and looked up at her. "I mean...it's not something you hear often." 

"It means a sudden storm," he answered. He snapped his book closed. "You seem perfectly fine, although you might want to stay out of the sun a little bit. And you look stressed," he said. He crooked a finger under her chin and lifted up her head. His eyes studied her pale face. "I'll ask Professor Trepe to lessen your work load." 

"But I like work-" 

"Then make you work within that tent outside," he told her coolly. "I won't prescribe anything, but if your head aches continue, call me immediately." He reached into his bag and pulled out a little white card. 

Rinoa took it and nodded. She looked down at the card and nearly dropped it. Squall was putting his things away when he noticed her stop and stare at the card. Her breath seemed to get somewhat shallow. "A lion..." she murmured. 

"Hmm?" Squall tilted his head and looked over at the card. Rinoa pointed to the seal of a lion with wings. "Oh yes, that's Griever. He's...sort of like a family guardian." 

"I've seen it before." 

"It's a very old symbol." he told her as he closed his bag. Rinoa shook her head. 

"No, I've seen it in the ruins," she said. Squall stood up and she followed. She nearly fell back as she realized that they when they stood up there was virtually no space between their bodies. Squall raised an eyebrow and Rinoa turned her head away. "Sorry..." 

"It's all right," he said. He moved the chair backwards and turned around to return it to it's place. He glanced back at her. "Rinoa, are you all right?" 

She nodded slightly. "Yeah..." she looked up at him. "Is your family from Centra?" 

"Yes, it is actually," he said. "It's an old family. At least that's what I was told." 

"Told?" she asked. "Are you adopted?" Immediately, she regretted what she said and covered her mouth. "I'm sorry! I didn't mean to put it like that-" 

He shook his head calmly. "It's not a problem," he stated. His rich voice wrapped around her. "Actually, my mother died at my birth. My father was always gone...I grew up with some monks." 

"Monks?" Rinoa asked. "Like in a monastery?" 

Squall was heading towards the flap of her tent and shrugged. "More like a temple," he said. He looked over his shoulder, the lamp light casting shadows over his face. "Get some rest, Rinoa. I'll come by in a few days to check on you." 

Rinoa nodded her head as the flap closed behind Squall. Outside, she heard him talking to Quistis. She fell back on her cot as she raised her hand to touch her face. She was blushing like she was on fire. She stared up at her ceiling. *This...this is getting weird.* 

* * *

"Hi!" a lively blond said as he extended his hand. "You must be Rinoa! I'm Zell Dincht, the inspector sent by Centra." 

"Hi, Zell," Rinoa said warmly. "Nice to finally meet you. How was your first night at the camp?" 

"I had a little trouble with my tent, but it's all fixed now," Zell said. They were around the residential part of the camp where Selphie's tent and the cafeteria tent and kitchen were. He pointed to a ten by ten square foot tent which had silver duct tape placed in certain areas. "I guess were too hasty in putting it together." 

"Uh...yeah..." Rinoa replied. She raised an eyebrow as part of the squared tent caved in. "Um...is it supposed to be doing that?" 

"Huh?" Zell turned around and his eyes almost fell out. "Oh no! Not again!" He ran towards his tent and Rinoa shook her head. 

"Rinoa, are you sure you should be up?" Quistis said as she approached her from behind. Rinoa turned around and nodded. 

"Squall said I'm fine," Rinoa said. "I'm all ready to work!" 

"Squall?" a voice said from the cafeteria tent. "Whose Squall?" Rinoa winced as she heard the all too curious tone that Selphie was asking in. When the brunette turned around, she saw Selphie's devious smirk. "So...who is the lucky guy?" 

"The lucky guy doesn't exist!" Rinoa insisted, although her face was flushing. "For your information, Selphie-" 

"Isn't Squall Dr. Leonhart's name?" Quistis suddenly asked. Rinoa froze. "You're on a first name basis?" 

"Oh...a doctor...way to go, Rin." Selphie gave her a thumbs up and Rinoa ran her hand down her face. 

"It's not like that," she insisted. "Anyway, I'm totally fine! I can work just like I used to-" 

"You're going to be working in the research tent," Quistis informed her. "Dr. Leonhart, or SQUALL, as you lovingly call him, told me that your work load should be lessened. So I'm taking out of the ruins." 

"What!?" Rinoa gasped. "No! No, you can't! I don't want to be in the research tent the whole time-" 

"Rinoa, you knew that field work wasn't all out in the field," Quistis scolded her. "Now, it's for the best. So after breakfast meet me at the research tent." 

"Fine..." 

* * *

*Okay...I've gotten the first tablet scanned,* Rinoa thought to herself. She was sitting on a folding chair by one of the computers in the research tent. She stared into the monitor as a scanned replica of the stone tablet appeared. Immediately, she began to clean up the image. *I can't believe it took me six hours just to get this far...* 

Quistis had been insistent that Rinoa clean every tablet clean of dirt so that it could be scanned perfectly. It took Rinoa one hour alone to get the materials ready and then she had spent four and a half hours cleaning it until she could eat off of it. Then she finally was able to run the scanner over it and upload several copies of it. She had taken a long lunch break around noon and then around three, Quistis came by and made her take another break, despite her wishes. 

Rinoa had protested, saying that she had a to finish. However, Quistis made her stop what she was doing and take a rest in her tent. As a result, Rinoa was now an hour behind the schedule she had planned for herself that morning. 

"Rinoa," a voice said from the entrance of the tent. Rinoa didn't have to turn around to know it was Selphie. "Dinner's ready!" 

"I'll take a late dinner, Selphie," Rinoa said as she adjusted the lamp light over her with an outstretched hand. "I just want to finish this." 

"I thought you'd say that..." Selphie sighed. "QUISTIS!!" 

"What!? Wait, no!" Rinoa gasped as she shot up off her chair. Her eyes were wide as she could make out the blonde professor walking towards the entrance of the tent. "Dammit..." 

"Rinoa!" Quistis began. 

"Okay, okay! Just let me save this!" Rinoa grumbled. "Geez, you're just like Matron." she mumbled. 

"I'm going to take that as a compliment." Quistis said. She stood at the entrance with her arms crossed over her chest. She watched Rinoa close up the computer before heading towards them. 

"Happy now?" Rinoa frowned as Selphie chuckled next to them. 

"Very," Quistis said. "How are you feeling?" 

"I told you, I'm fine!" Rinoa sighed. "Even Squall said so!" 

"You keep mentioning him..." Selphie trailed off suspiciously. "Do you...LIKE this 'Squall'?" she asked with a smirk on her lips. 

Rinoa blushed, but shook her head. "No! What do you mean I keep mentioning him? This is the second time!" 

"So you keep track?" Selphie added. 

"Ugh! Forget it!" Rinoa sighed. She sped up and Selphie and Quistis chuckled behind her. Rinoa looked up ahead, trying to ignore her friends, when she saw Zell crossing the path ahead of them and heading towards the cafeteria tent. "Zell! Hey, Zell!" 

The blond looked up and smiled widely as he waved. "Hi, Rinoa! How are you feeling!?" 

"Oh, Hyne, they told you, too?" Rinoa sighed, running her hand down her face. Zell laughed and nodded. "I'm perfectly fine, Zell." 

"That's good. I heard that it gets pretty dangerous out here in the desert," he said, looking around. "But I heard that you guys also have pretty decent food." 

"If you like hot dogs..." Rinoa laughed. 

"I LOVE hot dogs!" 

"Then welcome to heaven, Zell, because that's all we ever eat." Rinoa continued. Zell nodded enthusiastically and rushed into the tent. As Rinoa entered she listened to the music that was being played by some of the local volunteers. She waved at them as she was greeted warmly. 

Quistis and Selphie came in after her and Selphie was swept up into a group of her volunteer friends who were dancing towards one part of the largest tent. "Is it always like this!?" Zell asked as he stood in line with Rinoa and looked over at the group. 

"Basically!" Rinoa laughed. "The local volunteers go home on the weekends, but on Friday nights, they grab their instruments and play at dinner! It's so cool!" They looked towards the five men in the corner with guitars, drums, and other instruments. There was one young woman who was singing in the local language as people clapped around them, keeping the beat of the music. 

"Next!" one of the kitchen staff shouted. 

"That's me!" Zell said. He ran up ahead with his tray ready. Rinoa and Quistis laughed. 

"So, did he get in your way as you expected?" Rinoa said as she stood with Quistis. The blond sighed and shook her head. 

"Actually, I hardly saw him," Quistis said. "I was over seeing the newly unearthed parts. Selphie took him with her to the Chambers of the Dead to help her and her core crew copy down the murals on the wall." 

"So he's been made into a volunteer, too?" Rinoa said. "That's good, we can always use the extra help." 

"I know," Quistis nodded. "Amazingly enough, when I saw his sketches, they were EXACTLY like the murals on the tomb walls. We might have a use for him after all." 

Rinoa went to get her one hot dog and joined Zell at one of the tables close to the music. She was surprised to see a dozen hot dogs and layers of condiments piled on his tray. He unceremoniously ate them and by the time that Quistis joined them with her salad, he was already half way through the pile. 

"You know, I can play that," Zell said pointing to the resonating wooden box which was having strings that laid across it's surface plucked. 

"You play classic Centran instruments, Zell?" Rinoa asked. Zell nodded. 

"My mom made me learn," he admitted. "Some friends and I used to perform at festivals in my town." 

"Really?" Rinoa said, impressed. "That's so cool! Do they all play classical instruments?" 

Zell nodded once more. "Yeah, but I was the only one with formal training. The others kind of just picked it up." 

"You'll play for us then, right?" Rinoa urged. 

"Sure!" he said cheerfully. "I'm a little rusty, though." 

"That's okay. We're probably a little rusty, too. Well, maybe not, Selphie," Rinoa said as she chuckled. "But our baby sitter was from Centra and before we all headed out to college, she taught us Centran dances." 

"Which ones?" Zell asked curiously as he downed his ninth hot dog. "Maybe I can play something you guys can dance to." 

"Quisty, what was that one dance called again?" Rinoa said. "You know...the one that goes like this..." Rinoa raised her hands in the air and moved her upper body in a smooth motion as she stayed seating. 

"The Seduction of Shiva," Quistis answered as she recognized it immediately. "How could you forget? It's your favorite one." 

"Yeah, that's it," Rinoa said. She looked over at Zell. "Do you know that one, Zell?" 

The blond had stopped eating and was looking at her. He slowly nodded his head. "Yeah..." he mumbled. "Your favorite dance is the Seduction?" 

Rinoa nodded proudly. "Matron used to say that it was a really hard dance but I picked it up really fast. Like it came naturally to me." 

Zell nodded slightly and smiled. "Sure!" he said brightly. "I'll play it as soon as I finish and if I can get my hands on that instrument." 

Rinoa giggled with giddy as Quistis chuckled. "Quistis!" a voice shouted from the entrance of the tent. The blond and practically everyone in the tent looked up. A panicked looking Nida rushed. "Quistis! Some guy just showed up and he's looking for you!" 

Quistis exchanged glances with Rinoa and Selphie as she put her fork down. She stood up. "Who is it?" 

"Said his name was Almasy," Nida replied. "He's waiting by the research tent. And he looks pissed!" By now the music had all but died down as confused and worried looking volunteers sat in their places and watched as Quistis narrowed her blue eyes and walked towards the exit. 

Immediately, Rinoa and Selphie dropped what they were doing and headed out after Quistis. "Hey! Where are you guys going?" Zell asked, noticing the two young woman going after Quistis as she exited the tent with confident strides. 

"What do you think?" Rinoa said. "We're going for back up." 

Zell barely had time to finish off the last of his hot dogs and go after them. As he ran out of the tent, he saw Rinoa and Selphie walking behind Quistis. The tall blond gave off and aura of power as she walked down the path way towards the research tent. 

Quistis saw the light on in the research tent and frowned. When they had left for dinner, she was sure that she turned off the light to conserve energy. Standing by the door way was a beautiful young woman with platinum, short white hair. Her eyes were hidden behind short wisps of hair as she stood up straight, almost militaristically. Standing next to her was a tall, tanned man with dark hair. 

"Rin, Sel, watch them," Quistis whispered in a low voice. The other two nodded and stopped slightly behind her. Quistis casually walked past the two sentinels and up the steps to the research tent. Upon entering, she saw a tall man hunched over the lone Centran Tablet that Rinoa had been scanning. "Mr. Almasy, how may I help you?" 

The figure by the tablet stiffened and stood up straight. Quistis stood by the entry way, her arms crossed over her chest. She slightly adjusted the glasses on the tip of her nose. The man had blond hair and as he turned around, green eyes caressed over her body, studying her calmly. He was wearing black slacks over black shoes and under a black coat and hunter green silk shirt with it's top buttons unbuttoned to reveal and silver plate chain. 

Pale lips seemed to turn into a grin as he looked over at her. "Professor Trepe?" he asked, his voice deep and casual. 

Quistis suddenly felt shivers go down her body as she stood there. Outwardly, she remained cool and confident, although she was well aware of his eyes studying every inch of her. "Yes. And you are Mr. Almasy, am I correct?" 

The corners of his lips rose slight, giving her a confident, better than thou smirk. "Yes," he said coolly. "Actually, Professor Trepe...I'm sorry, what is your first name?" 

"Quistis." 

"Yes, Quistis-" 

"Please stick to Professor Trepe." she cut in all too sweetly. The blond man's lips smirked even more, as if highly amused. 

"Of course, Professor Trepe," he told her casually. "My name is Seifer Almasy. I believe you and I have something to discuss." 

"And that is?" 

"The ownership of this land," Seifer told her. She could detect the mocking tone in his voice. "While it was under government control for a while, it has only recently been transferred over to me." 

Quistis' blue eyes turned icy as they narrowed and glared at Seifer. "And WHY would they be transferred over to you, Mr. Almasy?" she asked, venom apparent in her disbelieving voice. 

"Because, Professor Trepe," Seifer said smugly. He lifted up a leather briefcase he had been holding and placed it on an empty table. "My family owns this land. It has for centuries." 

"Impossible," Quistis gasped. "This land is a desert! No development for at least fifteen miles at all sides-" 

"I didn't think you'd believe me," Seifer said. He opened the brief case and took out a manila folder. He opened it up and shuffled through several official looking documents before he took out one particular sheet. "I believe this should change your mind." 

Quistis strode over quickly and took the document he was handing to her. Her eyes quickly scanned the document. "No..." she gasped out. "Impossible...it can't be!" 

Seifer smirked as he snatched the document from her hands. "Oh, but it is." he mocked. 

Quistis turned to him, her beautiful face drained of all color. "But the government said that-" 

"That it was government property? Yes, that's true," Seifer said. "It was under the government's hold until I returned from Esthar to claim in. And I have." 

"No..." Quistis said. Her voice was shaking as the horrible truth hit her. "But the research... all this work...it can't be!" 

"Don't believe me?" Seifer asked, chuckling slightly. Quistis gripped the edge of one table. "Why don't you ask Chicken-wuss...looks like he was sent over." 

"Who?" Quistis gasped. She turned her head and followed his line of sight. Zell was standing outside with Selphie and Rinoa. "ZELL?" 

"Go ahead. Ask him." Seifer practically dared. Quistis breathed deeply and stumbled over to the entrance. 

"Zell," Quistis called. "Zell!" 

Nervously, the other blond looked up. He reluctantly walked towards her. "Yes?" 

"Zell...is it true?" Quistis asked, narrowing her eyes. "Does this guy OWN the ruins?" 

Zell glanced over her shoulder at Seifer, who was smirking. Sadly, he lowered his head and nodded. "Seifer Almasy is the heir of the area right where the ruins are...the government was to hold it until he returned from Esthar." 

"Oh, Hyne..." Quistis mumbled. He ran her hand down her face. "Why didn't you tell us!?" she demanded. 

"I didn't know he was going to be arriving so soon!" Zell said. "I was going to tell you-" 

"Oh, forget it!" Quistis sighed. "It's too late, anyway...Rinoa! Selphie!" 

"Yeah?" the other two said. They walked past the two other people and walked up the steps into the research tent where three blondes were standing. Rinoa's eyes softened and as she looked over at her friend. "Quisty, what's wrong?" 

Quistis opened her mouth, but no words came out. She didn't know how to put it. "This property...the ruins...it's no longer government property." 

"Then whose does it belong..." Selphie slowly looked up and saw Seifer standing there, looking somewhat triumphant. "No way..." 

"All this work..." Quistis mumbled numbly as she fell back against a chair. 

Selphie knelt down by Quistis as Rinoa whirled around to Seifer. "You're not going to kick us out are you?" Rinoa gasped. "Do you have any idea how important these ruins are-" 

"Calm down, little girl," Seifer told her. "I am aware of how important the ruins are." 

"Then you're not going to stop us?" Rinoa asked, slightly smiling as she grew hopeful. 

Seifer snorted. "Of course not." 

Quistis' head lifted and blue eyes were wide with surprise. She had been positive that the arrogant male would stop their research and want to bulldoze the ruins to make a summer palace or something. "Thank you-" 

"But you'll be working under someone else from now on." Seifer said. Quistis immediately frowned. 

"Are you implying that we are to work under YOU?" Quistis spat out as she stood up. Seifer smirked slightly and nodded. "No." 

"I'm afraid you don't have a choice," Seifer told her confidently. "I can either hand over the job to another research team and have your funds cut or you can work under me." 

Quistis took a deep breath, but knew she was cornered. "What are the conditions?" 

"I knew you'd see it my way," Seifer smiled. "I'll be pitching a tent here, too, to over see the research. But basically, you can do whatever it was that you used to do. I just want to be informed if anything is found and removed." 

"That sounds plausible." Quistis mumbled behind gritted teeth. 

"Also," Seifer continued. "My lawyer will be here. I've also been told you've had a lack of medical care in the area and I've taken the liberty of hiring a doctor to come on site." 

Quistis hated to admit it, but the man had a point. She had wanted a doctor on site, but they were lacking in funds. But now, it seemed that the spoiled little rich boy, which she assumed Seifer was, could provide things that they had been denied. She nodded slowly. "Fine." 

"Great!" Seifer said. He extended his hand and Quistis shook it reluctantly. "By the way, I'd like you to meet my cousin, Fujin, and her husband and my body guard, Raijin. They'll be staying here as well." 

"Nice to meet you, ya know!" Raijin said cheerfully. Fujin nodded her head solemnly. 

"Pleasure." she told them. 

Selphie immediately went to greet them in her typically cheerful way as Rinoa offered them a weak smile. Seifer turned back to Quistis, who carried a frown on her face. "Oh...don't pout," he said as he lifted his hand and caressed her cheek. Quistis resisted the urge to slap his arm away in anger. "You're much too beautiful for that." 

"Please don't touch me, Mr. Almasy." Quistis hissed. It only made Seifer smile more. 

"I guess I'll go set up my tent down," he said coolly as he withdrew his hand. He looked over at Zell. "Chicken-wuss! Get my tent from my car! Set it up next to the professor's!" 

Zell scowled at him and Quistis glared. "After you set up the tent, please inform me so I can move mine." she snapped. 

Seifer merely smirked and stepped out of the research tent with his brief case. Fujin and Raijin followed behind him, presumably to his car to get the tents and set them up before it got too dark. Quistis let out a growl and Rinoa and Selphie looked up at her. "He is the most ARROGANT man I have EVER met!" 

* * *

"He is the most ARROGANT man I have ever met!" Quistis exclaimed for the tenth time that morning as she lifted up a brass vase on to one of the shelves. Her hair was held up in a pony tail and long golden locks fell down her back. Her toga was tied up shorter than usual so she could walk more freely around Selphie's Uncle's shop. 

Selphie laughed as she sat by the back counter, shining another brass vase of a different style. "He wasn't that bad, Quisty," she said. Her yellow toga was sleeveless and short, as it usually was. "I think you're over reacting." 

"I don't CARE if he's the prince," Quistis snapped proudly. Rinoa shook her head as she walked past Quistis to put a porcelain tea set on one of the shelves. Her light blue toga was also tied up past her knees and sleeveless so she could work easier. "I refuse to let him treat me as some piece of meat!" 

"He wasn't treating you like meat last night, Quistis," Rinoa sighed. "He was just trying to be nice." 

"YOU got lost in the temple and didn't see what he did," Quistis retorted. She turned around, still standing on her stepping stool. "When Selphie went to introduce me to him, his eyes looked me over in THAT way. And then he smirked and said-" 

"There's that sexy thing I've been dreaming out!" a voice shouted from the front of the store. The girls looked up and saw a tall young blond man leaning against the open door way casually. His white and red accented clothes were of good quality and just screamed out 'royalty'. He smirked and winked at Quistis. "Miss me, Quisty?" 

"We have a right to refuse service here!" Quistis said as she stepped down her stool and walked over to the door way. "And we refuse to serve YOU." 

"That's called treason," he said coolly. He reached out and grabbed Quistis' wrists, pulling her towards him. "Busy? Let's go out." 

"Yes, I'm busy!" Quistis gasped as she pulled away from him. "Let me go, you oaf! Unlike YOU, I have a job." 

"I have a job," he said as if hurt. He gently let Quistis go and she turned her back to him. "I'm a prince." 

"Sitting on a throne all day being waited on is NOT a job, YOUR MAJESTY." she hissed. 

"Hmm...I like it better when you call me Seifer," he smirked. He looked over at the other girls. "I see you're working with Chicken-Wuss' cousin and uh..." He paused as he looked at Rinoa. "General Caraway's daughter, right?" 

"Right," Rinoa said. "Can we help you today, your highness?" 

"I'd like to buy Quistis," Seifer said casually. Quistis whirled around, her eyes burning with a glare. "How much?" 

"I am NOT for sale!" Quistis snapped. 

"Wait a second!" Selphie said as she shot up from her seat. "How much are we talking here?" 

"SELPHIE!" Quistis shrieked. 

"I'm kidding! KIDDING!" Selphie laughed, holding her hands up to keep Quistis from throttling her. She looked back at Seifer. "Seriously, though...how much?" 

"Quistis is NOT for sale," Rinoa sighed, cutting in between the two of them. "I'm sorry, your highness, but may I interest you in-" 

"Seifer, if you don't need me for anything, I'm going to go back to the temple," a baritone voice sounded from the crowded and noisy street outside. Rinoa's ears immediately picked up the smooth voice as Seifer stepped aside and let in a shorter young man with brown hair. He bowed his head slightly upon seeing the three girls. "Good morning." 

"Good morning, brother Squall," Quistis and Selphie said, both bowing their heads slightly. They looked over at Rinoa, who was standing there with a blank expression on her face. Her eyes were focused on Squall. "Ahem...Rin..." 

"Oh! Morning, Squall!" Rinoa immediately felt like slapping herself. Squall merely smiled. 

"Good morning, Rinoa." 

*He said my name!* Rinoa smiled stupidly as the others stood there in silence. Squall finally broke eye contact with her and turned to Seifer. 

"Well? Why did you drag me out here?" 

"Ah! Of course," Seifer said. He pulled Squall over to Quistis. "This is Quistis Twerp-" 

"TREPE, Quistis TREPE!" she hissed as she shot him a deadly glare. 

"Right, right," Seifer grinned. "Anyway, I want you to get a good look at her because I want YOU, Squall, to be the one to marry us." 

"WHAT!?" 

Rinoa looked stunned as Selphie looked at Quistis with surprise. "Since WHEN!? Why didn't you TELL us, Quisty!?" Selphie gasped. 

"We're not getting married!" Quistis growled. She turned to Seifer and pointed to the store's entrance. "Get out of here! You're no longer welcomed!" 

*I don't think he ever was...* Rinoa thought. 

"But, Quisty-" 

"Don't call me that! We just meet!" she gasped out tiredly. 

"What? You don't believe in love at first sight?" Seifer asked. Quistis was seething. 

"No! I don't love you!" she nearly screamed. 

Seifer smiled, seemingly more amused. "Oh, there's time," he assured her. "Until then!" At that moment, it seemed that Seifer's speed as a warrior paid off. He swooped in and gently kissed Quistis on her flushed cheek before running out the door. Quistis was left standing there, dumbfounded. 

"I'm sorry about that," Squall sighed as he ran his hand through his hair. "Please don't take any offense." 

"Offense!?" Quistis hissed. The deadly gleam in her eye turned to Squall. "You saw what that bastard did-" 

"Quistis, calm down," Rinoa said. She held back the struggling blond and looked over at Squall. "Sorry." 

"No, I'm sorry," Squall insisted. "I'll try to have a talk with him. Have a good day, Miss Trepe, Miss Tilmit...Rinoa." He gave her a slight smile and left. 

As soon as his name left his lips, Rinoa felt her entire body flush. She could have been a puddle on the shop room floor. "Rinoa, are you okay?" Selphie asked. 

Rinoa looked over at her and nodded. "Yeah..." she said sheepishly. "Hey...what do you think of Squall?" 

* * *

Rinoa lifted her head up tiredly and blinked. The morning sun was already penetrating her tent and she grumbled. She looked over at her watch, which had been on a crate next to her bed. It was five thirty in the morning. 

*Oh, geez...* she thought to herself as she rolled over on her back and looked up at the top of the tent. *I can't believe this...Squall's in my dream. Seifer's in my dream. Quistis and Selphie I can understand, but those two...? I just met them...Not that I MIND seeing Squall in my dreams...* 

"Doctor, what are you doing here this early? Is something wrong with Rinoa?" a voice asked outside her tent. Rinoa immediately sat up. Quistis was always up earlier than everyone else. She had a rigid routine that would make normal people cry. 

"Actually, Professor Trepe, I'm the doctor assigned to be the field physician here," Rinoa kicked off her blankets and ran to the entrance of her tent. She opened it slightly and peeked through. Her brown eyes went wide as she recognized Squall standing just outside her tent, his back to her. "I'm looking for Seifer Almasy." 

"You know Seifer?" Quistis asked. 

Squall seemed to pause. "We've met." 

"Oh...all right, well I don't think he's awake yet," Quistis admitted. "But at least it's good to know that the doctor will be familiar. For a second I was worried that you came to tell us that something was wrong with Rinoa." 

"How is she, by the way?" Squall asked. Rinoa's heart was beating as she zipped up her tent and dove back into her cot. She miscalculated and landed half on the cot and fell over on the ground. 

"AH!" 

"Oh, Hyne!" Quistis gasped. "Rinoa!" She walked around Squall quickly and ran to Rinoa's tent. Squall followed behind her, having heard a crash from within the tent. Without any hesitation, Quistis unzipped her tent and walked in. Rinoa was on her back, on the floor by her bed. Her pillow was over her chest and her blanket was at her feet. 

"Ugh..." Rinoa blinked her eyes, unsure of how she even got on the floor. Her hair was all over her face. She was so disoriented, she didn't even notice Squall enter after Quistis. 

"What happened!?" Quistis gasped. She immediately knelt down next to Rinoa and began putting her pillow and blanket back on her cot. 

"I'm okay!" Rinoa stammered nervously. Quistis helped Rinoa into a sitting position and Rinoa noticed Squall turned his head away before turning around and keeping his back to her. "Um...Good morning, Dr. Leonhart!" 

"Good morning, Rinoa," Squall said quickly. "I'll be outside. I should look for Seifer." With that, he rushed outside, leaving Rinoa slightly confused. 

"Oh..." Rinoa couldn't help but frown in disappointment as the young man vanished from her tent. She heard Quistis snickering in front of her and looked up. "What?" 

"Look at what you're wearing," Quistis laughed. "No wonder he ran out of here!" 

"Huh?" Rinoa's eyebrows furrowed as she looked down. "Oh no!" Her face turned red as she grabbed her pillow and held it over her body. She had forgotten that in the unnatural heat of the night before, the temperature hadn't dropped as low as it usually did and so it had still be hot at night. 

As a result, she had practically stripped herself of all but her _Care Bear_ panties and spaghetti strap tank top with _Wish Bear_ on it. She ran a hand down her blushing face as Quistis laughed. 

"Wait until Selphie hears about this..." 

Rinoa was burying her face in her pillow. "Just shoot me." 

* * *

If Selphie had kept laughing, she was sure that her brains were going to fly out of her nose. Rinoa sat in the research tent, a frown on her face as Selphie nearly fell off her chair as Quistis told her what had happened that morning. Selphie wiped the tears off her face. 

"Wait until Zell hears about this!" 

"Don't you DARE tell him!" Rinoa growled. "It's bad enough that you two know without the whole camp knowing about this!" 

"I wonder what Dr. Leonhart must've felt when he saw Rin like that!" Selphie laughed. "I would've loved to see how he looked." 

"No, you wouldn't," Rinoa said as she turned back to the scanned photo of the tablet she was cleaning up. "Hyne, I DON'T." 

"Quistis," a voice said from the door way. At the sound of the male voice, the blond female immediately scowled, but quickly recovered. She turned around calmly and gave a blank look at the man in loose khaki pants and a white polo standing at the entry way. "My lawyer has just arrived and I'd like you to meet him." 

"Oh, yay..." Rinoa whispered under her breath. Selphie snickered as Quistis nodded. 

"All right, where is he?" Quistis said. Seifer turned around and frowned. 

He looked down the path and growled. "Kinneas! What the hell are you doing!?" 

"I'll be right there!" a deep voice replied. There were a series of giggles. "I'll see you girls later." There was more than a hint of flirtation in his voice was from around the corner, a tall young man with red-brown hair tied at his nape entered the tent. 

He wore a cowboy hat on his head and shot all three girls a seductive smile. "This is Irvine Kinneas, my lawyer," Seifer said calmly, although a scowl was still on his face. "He'll be here as well. Kinneas, this is the lovely Professor Quistis Trepe...and her two assistants." 

Quistis rolled her eyes. "They are Selphie Tilmit, the head of our volunteer group, and Rinoa Caraway, a graduate student at the University of Galbadia, Deling City. She's my lead assistant." 

"A pleasure ladies." Irvine said coolly as he took each of their hands and kissed the back of it. Seifer looked extremely annoyed as Rinoa laughed slightly. Selphie giggled and jumped up and down. Irvine gave her a wink. 

"I suppose you'll be like Mr. Almasy-" 

"Quistis, please, I told you, it's just Seifer." the blond male replied. 

Quistis narrowed her eyes. "And I told you, SEIFER, that it's Professor Trepe. And Mr. Kinneas-" 

"Just Irvine, Professor." he told her. 

Quistis nodded. "Irvine, then. I supposed that you'll be doing work in your own tent?" 

"Actually, all the legal work as been done. But I thought I could be of some help." Irvine said proudly. 

Quistis raised an eyebrow in question. Before she could ask why, Selphie jumped. "Great! We can always use more volunteers!" the perky brunette smiled. Large green eyes looked up at Irvine. "Congratulations, Irvine! You're now part of my team! Let's go get your tent set up and then we can head out to the ruins." 

"Great! Where can I pitch my tent?" 

"Anywhere you want providing there is room." 

"Is there room by your tent?" Rinoa nearly burst into fits of laughter at the last of Irvine's corny lines before concentrating on her work. 

Behind her, Seifer looked over at Quistis and smiled. "So...anything I can help you with?" 

Quistis grabbed a small leather bag with some tools and a sketch book and walked straight past him out the door. "Yes. You can leave me the hell alone." 

Rinoa bit her bottom lip and shook her head. She could still hear Seifer trying to talk to Quistis as she sat on her chair. She was staring so hard at the monitor that she didn't even notice someone enter. A hand extended and touched her shoulder. 

"Ah!" She jumped up slightly and turned around. Squall stood behind her looking surprised and Rinoa felt her entire body grow warm. Not only at the sight of him, but also at the memory of earlier that day. 

"I'm sorry to startle you," he said. His voice was like silk around her body. "But I was calling you from the door way and you were so engrossed in your work." 

"Sorry..." Rinoa trailed off. "I get like that," she shook her head to try to clear her thoughts slightly. "So...what are you doing here?" 

"Professor Trepe said that I could use this place as a temporary medic tent," he said. "Do you mind if I set up?" 

"Yeah, sure! Go ahead," Rinoa turned around and stood up. Her eyes studied the room, looking for a good place. "Umm...it's kind of messy in here. Any place in particular?" she asked, turning to look at him. Squall shrugged. 

"Wherever." 

Rinoa looked back at the mess and found that one corner away from her seemed relatively empty. "What about over there?" she said. She immediately began to walk towards the corner to start cleaning it out when her foot caught on to one of the cables. She realized it too late and stumbled forward. Her eyes went wide as she fell. 

She readied herself to hit the wooden floor of the tent once more when two arms reached out and caught her just before she hit the ground. Her brown eyes opened and looked up into a pair of concerned blue ones. Her heart skipped a beat. 

"Are you all right?" he asked softly. 

Rinoa merely narrowed her eyes as she looked up at him, completely transfixed. "Are you sure...?" she whispered softly. Squall tilted his head slightly. 

"Sure of what?" he asked, his voice softer than normal. He was crouched down next to her, practically cradling her in his strong arms. 

"That we haven't met before..." she murmured. Unconsciously, she raised her and gently swept back brown locks of hair that was falling over his face. "Because I could've sworn I've seen these eyes before..." 


	4. Dream Man

**Mythology**  
_Chapter Four: Dream Man_  
By PasifiKStaR 

**Author's Note**: Truth be told, this story is supposed to be dark, sad, with OOC, and really confusing while filled with personal angst, strange dreams, and sexuality. Much to my disappointment, I seem unable write things like that and it's turning into a romantic comedy. -_-;; Anyway, a few things are revealed (kind of) with the guys and I'm going to make this story a little darker. 

*All Standard Disclaimers Apply: I do not own Final Fantasy.

* * *

"Well, well, well...putting the moves on Rinoa already, eh?" a voice said from the entrance of the tent. Rinoa's eyes went wide as she turned her head. She nearly rolled out of Squall's grasp, but he held on to her. 

Within a split second, she was pulled up to her feet again and being held at arms length from the gorgeous doctor. Her head was spinning. "Don't let us stop you," Selphie's curious voice said. She stood at the door way next to Irvine and was staring at them as if she were watching a movie. "HAVE you two met before...?" she persisted. 

"Oh Hyne..." Rinoa mumbled. She ran her hand through her hair and shook her head. "C'mon, I just fell-" 

"And Squall played the hero and caught you before you hit the ground," Irvine said, his eyes twinkling with mischief. "VERY knight in shining armor, Squall." 

"What the hell do you want, Irvine?" Squall growled in a low voice was he turned away from Rinoa and headed towards the corner of the tent she had been heading to before Irvine and Selphie caught them. 

"Don't know," Irvine said. Selphie stepped past him and into the tent. She winked as she passed by a blushing Rinoa. "I was just following Selphie. She wanted to get something." 

"I needed my tools," Selphie said as she knelt down to one of the cabinets next to Rinoa. "Irvine's going to join me and Zell and my team down by the temple." 

"The temple?" Rinoa said quickly. Her head perked up as she turned to look at her smaller friend. "Why there?" 

"We're going to take the measurements of the place," Selphie said as she smiled widely. "Since a lot of sand removed during the storm, it's perfect for us to get in good measurements. Maybe Zell can make a sketch of it. He's pretty good at it." 

"Oh..." Rinoa frowned. She chewed on her bottom lip slight and glanced over at Squall. His back was turned to them as he moved aside some boxes to give him a clear area. 

"Ahem..." Irvine coughed. "Well...we'll leave you two love birds alone." 

"We're not love birds!" Rinoa nearly shrieked. Selphie and Irvine merely exchanged knowing looks before heading out. "We're NOT!!" Rinoa shouted after them. She ran her hand down her face in humiliation. 

"Yelling will only attract more attention," Squall's voice said. Rinoa felt her body shiver as his smooth voice caressed her body. She took a deep breath to get control of herself before returning to her seat. "I'm going to get a chair for any patients from the mess hall." 

"Okay..." Rinoa said. She nodded and returned to her computer. *Ugh...stupid Selphie...stupid Irvine...I feel like such an idiot!* Her mind screamed. She let her head drop against her crossed arms over the table. *I can't believe I just said something so corny! Squall must think I'm such a...such a...ugh! Such a LOSER!!* 

Squall walked back into the tent holding a folding chair when he saw Rinoa with her head buried in her arms. She was mumbling something incoherent as she shook her head. "Rinoa...?" he called out. "Are you all right?" 

She froze. "I'm fine!" she said quickly. Her head shot up and she immediately regretted it. She didn't say a word, but Squall saw the look of pain in her eyes as she grasped her head. 

"Rinoa!?" he called out. He dropped the chair where he was and rushed over across the tent. Rinoa leaned forward, her eyes clenched closed. "Rinoa!?" 

She didn't answer him. Her head was being pounded by some unknown force and she winced. Squall ran back to his bag and grabbed a small plastic pill box. He opened it with easy and took out one small white pill. He snapped it closed and put it on the table. 

Rinoa felt her heart racing in her chest, as if it were going to burst at any second. She felt someone take her head and tilt it back slightly. She fought whoever was holding her by moving around. Hands pried her mouth open and something fell in. Before she even realized it, she had swallowed whatever it was. 

The pounding didn't stop suddenly. Squall was trying to hold Rinoa down as her breathing grew more and more shallow. Her hands gripped the edge of the table and he saw the silver band on her right ring finger. It seemed to be glowing against her pale skin and he narrowed his eyes. 

Almost as if by magic, Rinoa began to stop struggling. She was shaking and her breathing was still uneven, but she was stopping. "Squ...Squall..." she gasped out in tired breaths. 

Squall put his hands on her shoulders as he turned her to look at him. "Rinoa, breath...deep breath...calm down..." 

Her brown eyes opened and looked right into him. Her eyes were rimmed with tears. "I...I..." 

"You need to rest," Squall told her sternly. "Come, we'll get you to bed-" 

"No," she gasped. She shook her head. "No...I...I saw something." 

Squall stopped what he was doing and looked down at her. "What did you see?" he asked with concerned, squinted eyes. 

"A black box..." she gasped out. "A black box opened..." 

* * *

"Thank you for watching her, doctor..." Quistis said as she stood up. Squall entered Rinoa's tent and nodded. 

"It's all right," Squall assured her. "It's my job." 

Quistis let out a deep breath and ran her hand down her tired face. Squall had sent Zone and Watts down to the ruins that afternoon. She remembered taking measurements of a neighborhood and rebuking Seifer's comments about her butt when the two men ran down to met her. 

They were out to breath and immediately she realized that something was wrong. It was then that Watts told her that Rinoa had an 'attack' and Squall had sent her to bed. Quistis immediately dropped what she was doing and told Watts to take over her measuring before running up to the camp. 

Seifer followed behind her and on their way there, they ran across Selphie. Zone had gone to tell the perky brunette. Selphie practically sprinted up the hill, beating them all to Rinoa's tent. She had throw open the flap of Rinoa's tent and found her knocked out on her cot. 

Squall had gave her a sedative and was taking her blood pressure. "Will she be all right?" Quistis asked nervously. 

Squall nodded. "Yes...don't worry, professor-" 

"Just Quistis, please." the blond said, a worried look on her face as she looked over the brunette. 

"Yes, Quistis, Rinoa will be fine," Squall assured her. He checked Rinoa's pulse. "Everything is normal. Truth be told, I don't know what caused that attack earlier." 

"Maybe I should take her off the project-" 

"Don't you dare..." Rinoa's tired voice was none the less firm as she answered the blond. She kept her eyes closed as she laid there on her cot, a blanket up to her chest. "If you take me off this project, I'll never speak to you again." 

"I'd rather you never speak to me again then you killing yourself over it," Quistis replied sternly. "Rinoa, if this happens again, I'm going to send you back to Deling City-" 

"No!" Rinoa nearly shouted. Her eyes opened and she turned her head to Quistis. "No, I won't go!" 

"Rinoa, you could be seriously sick and we don't know it-" 

"I don't care!" Rinoa insisted. "This is OUR project, Quistis!" she reminded the blond. "Years of dreaming and we've all finally gotten this far! There's no way I'm going to leave!" 

"I don't want you to get sick!" Quistis insisted. 

"Quistis, perhaps you should just let the subject lay right now," Squall said as he looked back up at her. "It's best not to get her worked up." 

Quistis let out a deep breath and nodded in agreement. "We'll discuss this some other time, Rinoa. But until further notice, you are to sit here and rest." 

Before Rinoa could even utter a response, Quistis left the tent. She looked over at Squall. He was sitting on a chair by her bed, still holding her right hand. He seemed to be studying it quite intently and Rinoa followed his eyes. 

*The ring?* she frowned and looked up at him. "Squall, what are you doing?" 

"You're wearing Griever," Squall said in a quiet voice. His blue eyes rose and looked over at her as he gently held up her right hand. "Your ring..." 

"Oh..." Rinoa whispered. She remembered the image of the winged lion on his card and nodded slightly. "Yeah...you don't really see it often." 

Squall nodded and let her hand go. Rinoa felt a rush of disappointment as he parted with her. "There's a story associated with a Griever ring..." Squall said. He looked up at Rinoa as he reached over and removed the cold compress that she hadn't even realized was on her head. "You know the story of the fall of Centra right?" 

Rinoa nodded slightly. "It's our favorite story," she smiled slightly. Her eyes grew distant as her memories took her back to her youth. "An evil sorceress is unleashed and possesses the body of a woman. She ends up having to be killed by her lover." 

Squall reached out and Rinoa closed her eyes as he swept aside her soft bangs. "There is always more to it than that." 

"I know," Rinoa said. "Those myths are the reason why Selphie, Quistis, and I are here. We love those stories...I guess...we kind of wanted to prove that they weren't just children's stories." 

"What if they weren't?" 

"What else could they be?" Rinoa chuckled slightly as she opened her eyes and looked back at him. Squall had a solemn expression on his face. 

"You know, Rinoa...myths are often based on an unexplained truth," he told her. Rinoa once again found herself drawn into his sweet voice. "Some stories are more than that." 

Rinoa slowly looked down, feeling as if she had been scolded. "So..." she whispered out. "What about the ring?" 

Squall turned attention back to the silver band on her hand. "The woman who was possessed was born into a bad destiny, so her lover had a ring made for her to protect her from evil," he told her. He smiled slightly. "In the end...it didn't do her any good..." 

Rinoa felt the bitterness is Squall's voice, despite the lost smile on his face. As if he himself had been burned because of it. "I'm sure she felt protected just having it with her," Rinoa replied. Squall's gaze turned upon her. "I mean..." she swallowed and looked away nervously. "Even if she was born into a bad destiny and the ring couldn't save her in the end, maybe she took comfort in it. Like it reminded her that her life wasn't all in vain. That there WERE good parts to it." 

He didn't answer her and Rinoa began to feel extremely stupid. Finally, her eyes rose to meet his and found him sitting there, a slight smile on his face. "Maybe you're right." 

Three words from his lips and Rinoa suddenly felt as if she had been praised by Hyne. She blushed. His eyes upon her were intense and she felt her palms grow sweaty as she laid there. "I'm sorry if I'm saying too much..." 

"No," Squall said calmly. "You remind me of someone, that's all." 

"Is that a good thing or a bad thing?" she chuckled slightly, trying to hide her nervousness. 

Squall looked down at ground in front of him absent mindedly. "Perhaps both..." 

* * *

_ She stepped into beautiful circular room. It's domed ceiling was opened wide, revealing the glorious shimmer of the stars within the endless expanse of darkness. Her brown eyes were wide with awe as she stepped through the column framed door way and into the room. _

"You're late." a voice boomed. She looked down from the opening ceiling and smiled as her eyes settled on a young man in white robes walking towards her. A small, almost shy, smile was on his face. 

"Sorry," she said with a blush as she rushed over. "Seifer came by the store and practically kidnapped Quistis, so I had to close the shop by myself." 

"What about Selphie?" Squall asked as he extended his hand. Rinoa took it and felt her body tingle as their skin met. 

"Went with Irvine and Zell to the midnight market in town," Rinoa sighed. She shrugged her shoulders. "They didn't even bother to invite me. They just ran off." 

"You had plans anyway," Squall said as he lead her up some steps to the massive telescope that was in the center of the room. "If you ask me, this is far better than anything they're probably doing." 

"You mean getting drunk and being yelled at by Quistis?" Rinoa giggled. Squall chuckled and nodded. They reached the top platform and Rinoa noticed the large metal plates that were on the table before them. They were arranged and seemed to map out the sky. 

"I've been working on looking for a good day to marry Seifer and Quistis," Squall said as he motioned to the scrolls in front of them. "He merely met her a few months ago, but he's positive he wants to marry her." 

"It's a shame that Quistis doesn't feel the same way," Rinoa laughed. She looked down at the charts and scrolls and then back at Squall. "So you can tell lucky days and nights?" 

Squall nodded. "Based on what I can read in the stars," he said. He tilted his head to the side slightly. "Why? Do you want a reading?" 

Rinoa chewed her bottom lip nervously and shyly nodded. "I don't usually believe in this...but..." She looked up at Squall, who was giving her a warm, intent look. "All right! Why not?" 

"Great," Squall said. He let go of her hand and went to move the charts. "What year were you born...?" 

"Seventeen years ago." Rinoa said. Squall ran his hand through the scrolls and found one. He smiled as he unraveled it across the large table. Rinoa gasped as the long and wide beige piece of paper was unrolled before her eyes. There were more stars and lines on that sheet than she would even care to count for. 

"Okay...and the month?" Squall asked. 

"Third solar..." Rinoa said with a giggle. He nodded and went around the table. He ran his hand along the sheet and stopped. 

"Day?" 

"The eighth..." Rinoa finalized. Squall slowly drew his finger along a line and stopped. Rinoa studied his face as stopped. He looked slightly confused and shook his head before going back to where he started and drawing his finger across the line once more. "What's wrong?" 

"Ah..." Squall opened his mouth, but couldn't answer. His eye brows were furrowed and he shook his head. "Nothing..." he mumbled. He looked back up at her and smiled. "So did you want to look through the telescope?" 

Rinoa frowned and shook her head. "Squall," she said in a quiet, but stern voice. "What does it say?" 

The young temple boy and warrior hesitated. He looked back down at the scroll. "You were born..." He couldn't bring himself to say it. 

"Under a bad star," Rinoa concluded. Squall looked up at her and she nodded. "I know." 

Slowly she turned her back to him and looked up at the sky. "Rinoa..." 

"I've been told that before," Rinoa said softly, only a hint of sadness in her voice. "Ever since I was young actually. I'm not unlucky or anything, but I was born under a bad star...everyone says that I'm going to have a bad destiny." 

"Is that why you don't believe in it?" Squall asked. He watched as she took a deep breath. She turned around, a soft breeze from the open ceiling running through her soft hair and light blue toga as she gave him a bright smile. 

"Yep!" she said cheerfully. So cheerfully, it hurt. "But thank you, though. I'm glad you didn't lie to me about it." 

She was still smiling. Her teeth were straight and bright, her lips soft and pink. Her brown eyes deep and hiding a sadness he couldn't imagine. To merely glance at it struck him. Before he knew it, he had his arms around her body. Her eyes were wide with shock as the man embraced her. 

"A bad destiny doesn't mean a bad life..." he whispered softly in her ear. 

Rinoa closed her eyes and slowly lifted her hands. Her finger tips coiled against the soft folds of his toga as she leaned tiredly against him. "My father can't even stand to look at me..." she whispered. "My mother died...I'm a burden to Selphie's family... tell me one thing that destiny has lead me to that isn't unhappy." 

His answer was warm and sincerely. Squall's hands rose to her shoulders and gently pulled her away from him. A warm hand tilted her chin gently to have her eyes meet his. "Us." 

His lips closed over hers and Rinoa's brown eyes drifted closed as she fell into the spell he wound around her. She could still taste him on her lips as hers parted to take a breath. She didn't want to open her eyes as they stood there, showered by the moon and star light as his lips gently assaulted hers. She didn't want to wake up from her dream. 

* * *

Rinoa's eyes blinked open slowly. Her tent was still dark, meaning it was still dark outside. The lamp in her room was off. She let out a breath as she wished herself to return to her dream. Where the dream Squall was caressing her and showering her with infinite kissed under the moonlight. 

"Mmm..." she moaned slightly. She closed her eyes and frowned. "Don't go..." she pleaded to her dream. 

Suddenly she stiffened. A warm hand gently stroked her head. "I'll be back tomorrow." a deep voice whispered in her ear. Her body shivered as the hand gently ran down the length of her exposed arm. 

Rinoa's eyes flew open and she scanned the darkness of her room for the owner of the voice. As her eyes adjusted to the darkness, she could make out a figure slightly outlined by the glow of the moonlight outside her tent. It was a man's figure. Taller than her, well built, with nice, toned body. 

His back was to her cot and he seemed to be putting a shirt back on. Part of her wanted to tell him not to, but the other part of her was wondering why it was off in the first place. His hands reached down to his front side and seemed to buckle the belt on his pants and Rinoa blushed. 

*Oh my Hyne...did I? Did we...? WHO is this man!?* her mind screamed. It suddenly seemed as if she couldn't talk. She opened her mouth, but it felt abnormally dry and she feared that if she did ask, she would get an answer she really didn't want. 

The sounds of her shifting on the bed made the man turn around and Rinoa saw the outlines of his face. Familiar hair was falling over his eyes and she felt herself relax. "Shh..." he whispered as he knelt down next to her cot. He lifted his index finger to her lips before caressing her hair back behind her ear. 

"Squall...?" she whispered softly. "What are you doing here...?" 

"Am I really here?" he smiled softly as his hand touched her face. She felt her skin burn underneath his searing touch. "Or are you dreaming?" 

"Squall...?" her voice was almost panic filled and he chuckled. 

"Sleep, Rinoa," he assured her. "Just sleep..." As if lulled to sleep by his voice, Rinoa closed her eyes and returned to her unconscious state. Squall's smile left his lips as he stood up. 

He looked down at her once more before grabbing his jacket and slipping out of her tent. As soon as he stepped outside, he was faced with a tall blond man who was smoking a cigarette. Green eyes landed on him as a smirk graced the blonde's face. 

"Have a nice night?" 

"Can we NOT talk here?" Squall retorted. Seifer nodded and motioned for Squall follow him. In the night shrouded desert, they slipped through the camp and headed to the ruins. "What is it?" Squall hissed as they reached the bottom. 

"So is it on her?" 

"She's wearing it," Squall said. Seifer removed his cigarette and grind into the dirt floor as they stood before the ruins. "It's triggering something..." 

"As long as it's sealing what's inside of her, it'll be fine." Seifer snorted. 

"We can't just hover over for years, just WAITING for Ultimecia to come out of her," Squall said. "We have to get her out." 

"And how do you suppose we do that?" Seifer spat out. "You and Kinneas have been on it for a fucking decade and you still don't know what the hell is going on." 

"We've been trying, but it's difficult!" Squall snapped. "Millenias DO change things, Seifer." 

"Just get Chicken-wuss and Kinneas to find a way to get that thing out of Rinoa," Seifer said as he looked back up the camp. "You keep an eye on Rinoa. Fujin and Raijin will be leaving tomorrow to do some work in town." 

"And what about you?" Squall asked, highly annoyed as he crossed his arms over his chest. "You're just going to sit back and watch?" 

Seifer turned to glare at him. "I'M going to keep Quistis out of your hair. If anyone's going to be questioning anything, it's going to be her," Seifer retorted proudly. "You know how she is." 

"Fine," Squall said with narrowed eyes. "Once this is over, we can finally rest." Squall turned his back on Seifer and began to climb back up the hill. 

"What about Rinoa?" Seifer asked, stopping Squall half way up the hill. "Once it's over, you're just going to leave her." 

"She's not MY Rinoa." Squall replied, his hands clenched at his sides. 

"Oh, bull shit-" 

"Don't fuck with me, Seifer," Squall hissed, turning around to face Seifer once more. "Our job is to make sure that another Fall of Centra doesn't happen again. That's why we were sealed in the first place! After this job is finished, that's it. I'm going to rest. I don't care what the hell you do afterwards, but it's OVER for me." 

Squall whirled around and angrily went back up the hill. Seifer watched as the brunette left him. "Why do you have to provoke him like that?" a voice said from behind one of the walls of the ruins. 

"You know that Rinoa is a touchy subject for him." another voice added. Seifer didn't turn around to know that the voices belonged to Zell and Irvine respectively. 

"He doesn't believe it's her, does he?" Zell said as he walked out from behind the wall where he was leaning against. 

"It's not her," Irvine stated, as if it were obvious. "That's not HIS Rinoa. His Rinoa is dead." 

Zell shook his head sadly. "Do you think he hates her? You know...this Rinoa?" 

Irvine was silent, not knowing what to say. Seifer crossed his arms and frowned. "I think the only person that guy hates is himself." 

* * *

She couldn't look at him. Every time she had seen him that day, she had either pretended not to see him or gone out of her way to avoid him. She had woken up that morning, assuring herself it was a dream. A dream until she got up and realized she was wearing nothing but an over sized T-shirt and that her body ached. 

She frowned and then began to make numerous excuses for herself. First of all, it had been hot and she probably kicked off her pajama pants. Second, she had taken a lot of pills the day before, therefore some after affects had to be her aching body. Lastly, it was only a dream. The 'dream' Squall even said so himself. 

*Oh, yeah, Rinoa...listen to the 'dream' Squall...Hyne, I'm an idiot...* She took a deep breath and turned the volume up on her portable CD player. She concentrated on finishing digitally re-mastering the image of the tablet she had been working on. 

Despite her devoted concentration, her mind would slip and think about the man just a few feet from her across the room. He was sitting in his designated 'medic' area, reading a book. It was a slow day. Quistis had been reluctant to even let Rinoa work, but the girl pleaded and finally the blond gave in. 

It was almost time for dinner and Rinoa expected Quistis or Selphie or even both to appear any minute and drag her out for dinner. She couldn't wait for them to arrive. Usually, she would be so engrossed in her work that it bothered her when they would drag her to the cafeteria tent to eat dinner, but this time she welcomed it. 

She looked at the clock on the corner of the computer screen. It was just about sunset. 

* * *

"Selphie, where's Rinoa?" Quistis said as she sat down at their usual table across from her friend. She put her tray down and looked around the hall. Zell and Irvine were at the same table, also eating. 

Selphie looked up at her as she munched on a carrot. "I thought YOU were getting her for dinner..." 

Quistis stared at her in dismay. "I thought YOU were." 

Simultaneously they frowned. "Oh, damn..." 

* * *

Strange noises were coming from Rinoa's stomach as she looked down that the clock. It had been two hours and her friends still hadn't come for her. She began to wonder if they were all right, but shook her head. Selphie had Zell and Irvine with her and had anything happened to her, they would've brought her up to Squall right away. 

And as far as she was aware, Seifer was still 'stalking', as Quistis called it, Quistis so if anything had happened to her, they would've at least been informed. *Seifer would have probably called a helicopter to air lift her to a hospital or something...* Rinoa thought with a frown. 

Then there was the last scenario that served not to worry her, but just annoy her. They had forgotten to pick her up. It had happened before, where one girl thought the other was going to get her and the other girl thought the same, resulting in one girl being forgotten. 

Of all the times that it had happened, she silently prayed that this wasn't one of those times. Her stomach grumbled once more and she finally decided to just go by herself. Before she could stand up a shadow loomed over her and she turned her head. 

"Are you ready for dinner?" Squall asked casually. 

*Oh, Hyne...* Rinoa nearly felt like exploding at that very moment. Her face turned red as her eyes darted back to her computer. "No, no...I'm not hungry." 

"Rinoa, I heard your stomach grumbling across the room," he told her flatly. "You should eat dinner or else you might have another attack." 

She knew he was right and nodded. "Just let me save this..." she said tiredly. She moved the mouse and saved her data before standing up. Squall was waiting by the door and let her step out first before closing the entrance behind them. 

"How are you feeling?" Squall asked. "Any more head aches?" 

"None today," Rinoa said, trying to put on a bright smile for him. "I slept in today, so maybe that's the key to not having headaches, huh?" She laughed nervously to herself. 

"Then sleep in." 

"I'd love to," Rinoa replied. She put her hands her pockets and looked up at the sky. "But Quistis knows that I love sleeping in a little TOO much and might be suspicious." 

"How long have known Quistis and Selphie anyway?" Squall said as they walked up the path. They could see the tent ahead of them. 

"For as long as I can remember," Rinoa sighed. A smile graced her face as she thought back to her childhood. "We were probably still toddlers when we first met." 

"Did you meet that your baby sitters?" Squall asked, having remembered being told that. 

Rinoa nodded slightly. "We called her Matron...her name was Edea Kramer. Her husband was always out on business so she baby-sat us. Matron was always so lively! She'd tell us those stories...you know, the myths I told you about?" 

Squall nodded. "She was from Centra, right?" 

"Right," Rinoa asserted. "Anyway, my mom was a small time singer at night and worked during the day at a restaurant, so I'd go to Matron's. My dad's a General back in Galbadia." 

"I thought your last name sounded familiar," Squall said. "General Caraway?" 

"That's him," Rinoa sighed. "Anyway, he was always gone. Selphie's parents passed away in a car accident when she was two and she lived with her aunt and uncle who owned a store. But they were always working, so she had to go to Matron's. Quistis' parents...well, they were rich. Her father was always away, too. Her mom didn't really pay any attention to her. Which I think was stupid, because Quistis is a genius!" 

Squall glanced over at her as they reached the tent. She had lost the nervousness she had earlier and was now talking to him as if they had known each other for ages. "You're really close to them." 

"Oh yeah," Rinoa said as they entered the tent. "They're like my sisters." 

When they entered, Rinoa saw Quistis and Selphie at the table. They seemed to have been arguing about something when they saw Rinoa. She went over to them, scolding the whole time, as Squall headed to the line. 

*Like sisters...* Squall thought to himself as he reached out and grabbed two trays. *You make it seem like you haven't changed at all...* 

"Whose the other tray for, Squall?" a smirking voice said behind him. Squall rolled his eyes and looked over at Seifer with a cold glare. 

"I'm just saving her spot." Squall stated. Seifer nodded and mouthed 'sure' as he headed towards the table with the others. Squall watched as Seifer turned around and put his hands over Quistis' eyes. 

"Guess who!" She obviously already knew since she let out a shriek of anger and swiped her arm at him. Squall grinned as he watched Seifer jump back. 

"Can you believe it?" Rinoa said. Squall turned his head and noticed that she had reappeared at his side. She was frowning as she looked over at Selphie and Quistis. "Some sisters...they completely forgot to pick me up for dinner!" 

"Real sisters do that." Squall told her. He handed her a tray before she could reach for one. 

"Thanks," Rinoa said. Her eyes were still on her friends as Quistis threatened Seifer with, of all things, a spoon. "Oh geez...like he's afraid of a spoon." 

"If you touch me again, I'm not going to tolerate it, Mr. Almasy!" Quistis snapped. She stabbed the mashed potatoes on her plate and turned her back to him. 

Rinoa shook her head. *How weird...they're like that in my dream, too...* 

* * *

"Okay, just take this," Squall said as he handed Rinoa a small pill. "It should help just in case you get an attack tonight." 

Rinoa nodded and took the pill from his hand. She put it into her mouth and swallowed it. "Thanks," she said. Squall handed her a bottle of water after he uncapped it for her. She chugged some down and handed it back to him. "So have you heard?" 

"Heard what?" Squall said. He twisted the cap back on to Rinoa's water bottle. 

"Zell and Irvine are taking us to town tomorrow," Rinoa replied excitedly. "Irvine's sick of cafeteria food, so we're going to dinner there. Are you going to come?" 

"I should stay here," Squall told her coolly. "What if someone here gets hurt?" 

Rinoa thought for a while and nodded. "I guess so," she sighed. "That's very admirable. Should we bring you back something to eat?" 

"Anything is fine," Squall assured her. Rinoa nodded once more. There was a long pause as Squall finished packing his things away. "But I should go..." he mumbled as he stared at his back. 

"Hmm?" Rinoa tilted her head to the side. 

"I'm running out of general first aid equipment," Squall mumbled. "You won't believe how many people get bruises, cuts, and the like." 

Rinoa struggled to keep her knowing smirk to himself. *Obviously, he's never been on a dig site before...* she thought to herself. "We can pick it up. Just write up a list." 

"All right," Squall said. "You're all set. I'll see you tomorrow morning." 

"Good night!" Rinoa said with a brilliant smile. Squall left her tent and closed the flap behind him. From her seat on her cot, Rinoa let out a heavy sigh and fell back against the cot. 

One moment, the man was making her feel extremely self conscious and nervous and the next, she felt she could talk to him about anything. It was strange. Rinoa closed her eyes. She didn't want to think about him right now. It had been three nights and her 'dream' Squall hadn't appeared yet. 

Every night so far, she had found herself laying in bed, wondering if it had all been a dream or not. When she woke the next morning without any feeling or sign that he had been there, a wave of disappointment would flood her. Perhaps that was the reason why seeing Squall the last few days had been more bearable. 

She reached over and turned off her lamp before snuggling into her cot. Outside, the wind howled furiously and she hoped that another sand storm would not occur and bury the ruins. She found herself drifting off to sleep and glanced once more at her watch before she closed her eyes. She had been lying in bed for an hour and a half. 

* * *

Squall laid in his bed, staring up at the ceiling. The wind goddess was crying outside. She was probably scolding him for not keeping his word and not visiting Rinoa. But to him, it was for the best. She had grown more comfortable with him after he stopped appearing in her room at night and triggering her dreams. 

She hadn't told him about them, but he knew. She would mumble in her sleep. When she had actually woken and caught him putting his clothes on, he had attempted to cover it up by saying it was part of her dream. 

He rolled over on his cot. *She's not stupid...* he thought to himself as he closed his blue eyes. *I probably just confused her...* 

He had gone in to check on her and had removed his jacket as soon as he got into the tent. He had just woken up himself and wasn't wearing two of his belts. One of them was undone. He took off his shirt and stretched out a bit. He pulled out her chair and sat by her cot. He took her pulse and made sure she was breathing normally. 

It had been a hot night and as he sat there, watching her shift in her cot, she unconsciously kicked off her blanket. To his amazement, she was still wearing pajama pants and he shook his head. It was hot and yet she wore those things. Then, she somehow managed to remove them. 

It took all his strength not to stare at her long, pale legs. But when she called his name, he knelt over her sleeping figure and gently caressed her face. 

Squall's eyes flew open. He didn't want a repeat of that night. He also almost lost control of himself. Had he not sensed Seifer waiting outside to speak to him, he might've just joined Rinoa in her cot and held her until the dawn. He had rushed to put his shirt on when she woke. 

*She's not MY Rinoa,* his mind scolded. *MY Rinoa is gone...no one can ever replace her.* 

Years of research and studying had shown that Rinoa was indeed physically and spiritually Rinoa from Centra. But his heart and mind refused to accept it. How could he love another? It wasn't HER, regardless of the findings in the ancient texts and spell books. 

Seifer had no problem accepting Quistis and pursued her like he had once done - carelessly. And Quistis, strangely enough, had rebuked him like she had once done - consistently. Irvine was also more than happy to flirt to Selphie. But the Rinoa he had met a week ago was different from the Rinoa he had fallen in love with. 

Even as he assured and reassured himself that she was not the same person, Squall found himself tugging his pants on and walking out into the blowing wind. His hair flew over his face as he passed the tents of the others and walked towards Rinoa's. 

He stopped in front of her tent. *What the hell am I doing?* he asked himself. *Checking on her. Yes. Just make sure she's not having an attack...* he reasoned. Squall frowned. *Liar.* 

He reached over and unzipped her tent flap. He slipped into the small room and looked over at the cot. His eyes narrowed. She wasn't in her tent. 

* * *

Clad in shorts and a tank top, Rinoa rubbed her hands against her upper arms as she quickly dashed back to her tent from the bathroom. *I shouldn't have drank all the water before bed...* she scolded herself. 

She reached her tent and stopped. The zipper wasn't where she had left it. She always pulled it all the way up and now it was closed, but at the bottom. Her heart began to beat quickly as she swallowed. She couldn't stay out in the blistering night wind and she didn't want to wake up the others. 

Rinoa's hand shot out and unzipped the flap. 

Her room was dark, just as she had left it. Her brown eyes narrowed suspiciously as she slipped into her tent. She kept her back to the entrance as she slowly zipped it back up with fumbling fingers. Her eyes were trying to adjust to the darkness of her tent. 

"Where were you?" 

"AH!" Rinoa jumped nearly a foot as she turned and stumbled backwards against her cot. Her eyes focused to the far corner and saw the figure of a man standing there. Her eyes were wide open as her mouth stood agape. 

"I hope you weren't wandering around this late at night." Squall's voice was deep and somewhat unhappy. 

"I...I just had to go to the bathroom!" she stammered nervously. 

She heard him let out a heavy sigh. "I came to check on you," he told her, knowing what she was going to ask next. "Sorry to scare you." 

"It's okay..." she mumbled nervously. "Um...I'm fine." 

Squall continued to stand there. "All right then," he mumbled. "Go back to sleep." 

He turned and headed for the door. "Wait, Squall," Rinoa said. He paused half way there. Rinoa took a deep breath and ran her hand through her messy brown hair. "Were you in here several nights ago?" 

She felt the heat rise in her face as cool blue eyes shifted over and looked at her. "Why do you ask?" 

Her heart was racing for sure now. "I'm just...umm...I could've sworn that I saw you. About three nights ago." 

"You were dreaming." he stated, his voice almost toneless. Rinoa looked down at her feet as he reached the flap of her tent. 

"Then I want to dream again," He paused where he was and Rinoa looked up at him. He didn't move. He stood there, his hand about to unzip the tent flap. Rinoa began to feel uncomfortable with him standing there and glaring at the side of her tent. "Squall?" she finally squeaked out nervously. 

His head dropped slowly and he closed his eyes. "I'm tried," he mumbled. "I've been up too long..." 

Rinoa watched as he turned around and slowly walked over to her. He sat down next to and Rinoa felt her entire body tingle. His bare arm brushed hers as he turned to look into her eyes. "Squall...?" she whispered. 

He leaned forward and Rinoa found herself being drawn into his blue eyed gaze. Her heart was racing as she leaned forward slightly. "Help me rest, Rinoa..." his voice was like a small plea just before his lips rested on hers. 


	5. Food and Dance

**Mythology**  
_Chapter Five: Food And Dance_  
By PasifiKStaR 

**Author's Note**: Not really any angsty stuff here. I changed the genre. -_- Anyway, it's mostly random stuff with a big description of Rinoa dancing. 

*All Standard Disclaimers Apply: I do not own Final Fantasy.

* * *

His hands rose up the sides of her body as hungry lips assaulted hers, practically bruising them as he laid her down on her cot. She didn't have time to wonder if the meager bed could hold them both up as her fingers ran through his thick hair. His lips trailed down her slim neck as her heart raced against his palm. Silently, Rinoa wondered if she was dreaming or not. 

His breathing was ragged as his hardened hands ran against her ribs, under her shirt. Rinoa pulled his head up to kiss her again. Her warm lips were needy for his as the creaking of her cot sounded against the crying wind. 

Suddenly, Squall pushed himself up above her. Rinoa noticed that he had stopped his heated caresses and searing kisses and opened her eyes reluctantly. Squall's face was down cast as he laid above her, his arms propping him up. He was breathing deeply with his eyes diverted away from her. 

"Squall...?" Rinoa whispered quietly. *What's going on...?* 

"I'm sorry." Squall breathed out in a raspy voice as he got off of her. Panic filled her as she watched him stand up. Rinoa sat up as she watched him put his shoes back on. 

"Squall, wait-" 

"I'm sorry about all of that," Squall said in a rushed voice. "I shouldn't have done that." 

*No, wait...I want you to do that!* her mind screamed out. Rinoa was shaking in her cot. Her hair was tousled as she sat there. Squall quickly unzipped the entrance to her tent. 

"I'm sorry, Rinoa. It won't happen again." Squall assured her. 

He disappeared into the howling winds and Rinoa stared at the closed tent flap with an unreadable look. She closed her eyes as she suddenly felt abandoned and alone. She had been fine before he showed up, then after a few minutes of tasting his passion and being left alone without her fill left her empty. 

She couldn't help but feel cast aside. As if she wasn't worth anything. 

* * *

That morning, she had slept in. After her brief, but intense meeting with Squall, she hadn't been able to return to sleep. When she finally woke up, she didn't even realize she had gotten to sleep at all. Yawning, she stepped out her tent still dressed in her pajamas. 

She was heading towards the communal bathroom while holding her ceramic mug with the Final Fantasy VII logo on it. In the mug was her baby blue tooth brush and tooth paste. A face towel was swung over her right shoulder as she yawned. Her hair had been tied back into a messy pony tail, but she didn't care. 

As soon as she opened her tent, she saw the research tent ahead of her and frowned. She tore her eyes away from it as she walked ahead of her. She didn't want to see Squall, let alone be reminded of him. "Rinoa, did you over sleep?" 

Rinoa froze and slowly turned around to look back at the tent. Quistis was at the front steps, looking stern as ever. She was holding a camera. "Uh...yeah...I had a head ache, so I took a rest." 

Quistis merely nodded. "All right. Well, go eat breakfast. If you need me, I'll be taking pictures in the ruins." 

Rinoa nodded. "Okay." 

"And try to finish the second tablet today!" Quistis said. "I want to start translating them as soon as possible!" 

"Right!" Rinoa said. She smiled at Quistis as the tall blond quickly walked past her, hugging a tripod under one arm and the camera in the other. She sighed and turned around. 

As she did, she caught Squall standing by the door way of the research tent. His eyes went wide, as he realized he was caught looking at her. Their eyes met for a moment before Rinoa tore them away and made a beeline for the bathroom. 

She brushed her teeth furiously as she tried to forget what had happened the night before. However, the more she tried to forget, the more she remembered. She closed her eyes and spat out her toothpaste. She took a deep breath and swept her hair back with her comb and washed her face. 

She looked at her watch. She had been in the bathroom for twenty minutes. Rinoa frowned. She put her things away and took a deep breath. With her brown eyes focused ahead of her, she headed out of the bathroom. She kept her eyes on the path with her tent as her target. 

The closer to she got to her tent, the stronger her senses became aware of Squall in the tent right across from hers - the research tent. Her heart began to race. *No...you're almost there,* she insisted. *Just keep your eyes on the tent.* 

Squall sat in the corner of the tent, looking out one of the screened off 'windows' of the tent. He watched her practically march to her tent without so much as a glance over to where he was. He suddenly felt guilty. Did she hate him now? 

Judging by the way she almost ripped her tent trying to tug the zipper down, he would put his money on yes. Rinoa disappeared into her tent and Squall got up. He looked around the camp. It was practically vacant. Most of the volunteers were in the ruins with Quistis and the others. The only people left were the cooks and cafeteria workers. 

Squall exited the tent and walked across the path to Rinoa's tent. He paused as he stood by tent. He opened his mouth to make her aware of his presence, but nothing came out. Feeling stupid, he turned around and headed back to the research tent. Half way there, he stopped and turned back around, telling himself that he had to straighten things out. 

He reached her tent once more and he stopped. What exactly was he going to say? Feeling like a complete idiot, he turned around and headed back to the research tent. He figured he should think about what he was going to say to her before he barged in. He stopped halfway to the tent and took a deep breath. He'd never figure it out, so he should just go speak to her. 

He turned around and began to walk to Rinoa's tent. Just as he reached it, it unzipped and Rinoa stepped out. Half way out of the tent, she realized that Squall was right in front of her and raised an eyebrow in question as her face slightly colored. 

*Now's your chance! Get this straightened out!* Squall's mind shouted. He nodded to himself and opened his mouth. "Did you eat breakfast yet?" He mentally slapped himself. 

Rinoa stepped completely out of her tent and shook her head slightly. "No, I'm not hungry." she replied slowly. She turned around and closed her tent. 

"It doesn't matter if you are or not, you should eat something," Squall told her sternly. "The cafeteria tent is still open. Let's go." He reached for her arm. 

"I can go by myself," she replied with a slightly shaky voice. Her arm pulled away from his and she distanced herself from him. "I'll go eat." 

Squall stood there as she turned her back to him and quickly hurried up the hill to the tent and Squall swore. *Shit...,* He looked up at the sky. It was growing cloudy with dark clouds above him. *I'm just great at this...* 

* * *

Seifer sat on a fallen column as Quistis laid out a grid pattern over an wide area before him. Her hair was up in a bun with stray bangs falling over her face. He smiled slightly as she crawled around on her hands and knees, taking measurements and recording them on a clip board. 

"I don't see why you need to do this," Seifer said as he looked around the fallen building. "This was just a storage room." 

Quistis shot him an annoyed glare. "Storage room or not, it deserved to be chronicled." 

"What? You want to know where the shelves were?" Seifer scoffed. He looked back down at her and saw the serious look on her face and his smug smile fell. "You're serious?" 

Quistis stood up and dusted off her clothes. "Listen, I wouldn't expect someone like you to understand this," she told seriously. "But I take this very seriously." 

"Hyne, Quisty-" 

"PROFESSOR TREPE." she corrected him swiftly. 

"Right, Quisty," Seifer continued with a smug grin as she glared at him. He jumped off the column he had been sitting on and walked over to her. "Okay, the shelves were on the north wall." 

"How do you know?" Quistis asked with narrowed, annoyed eyes. 

Seifer sighed and put his hands on her slim shoulders. He slowly lead her to the north wall and took her left hand in his. He noticed that Quistis didn't automatically retaliate and shove him back. *Maybe because she's giving in...?* he thought to himself. *Nah...not this soon...* 

"Well?" Quistis snapped. Seifer rolled his eyes and lifted her hand to a groove in the wall. 

"There are grooves in the wall about a pace length from each other," he said. He put one hand on her hip and slowly lead her along the wall. He kept her hand lightly on the dusty wall so she could feel the grooves as they passed them. "They're an equal distance apart. If you look over here, you'll see a stain. The stain is from wine, so there was probably a wine storage section here. And over there, you'll see the remains of the stone base where the shelves rested as well as the niches in the ground where the poles that supported the shelves went." 

He glanced back down at the blond female and saw the disbelieving look in her eyes. "You're...you're right..." she stammered as she let her hand fall from the wall. She turned to look at him and Seifer took a cautious step back, just in case she swung at him. Her blue eyes were narrowed behind her glasses as she looked at him. "How did you know!?" 

Seifer smirked and shrugged his broad shoulders. "You think that just because I'm rich, I'm stupid?" he asked coolly. Quistis looked down with guilty eyes. 

"Of course not," she told him strongly. Her eyes lifted to meet his defiantly. "I think you're stupid because you're acting like a spoiled little boy!" 

Seifer didn't expect that. His emerald eyes went wide as Quistis walked past him and began to take measurements of the base of the shelves on her notes. He stood there and watched her. Her face was slightly flushed from their little conversation. "Let's go to the ball room." he said suddenly. Quistis looked up at him as if he were crazy. 

"I'm not done here-" 

"You can always come back," he assured her. Quistis looked at him suspiciously, but stood up. She was about to reach down and get her notes when he put his hand on her shoulder and stopped her. "You don't have to record EVERYTHING." 

*Okay...why is my heart racing?* Quistis thought to herself. She saw Seifer's lips curl into a smirk as he took her hand in his and pull her forward. "Hey! Hey! I can walk on my own." 

"Well, you're not really resisting, are you?" Seifer asked coolly as he walked ahead of her. Quistis immediately tugged her arm back once she realized that she hadn't resisted. He frowned as her face grew warmer. Seifer merely let out an amused laugh. 

"How do you know where the ball room is, anyway?" Quistis snapped as she followed behind him. "I don't even know why I'm following you!" 

"You're obviously enamored with me, Quisty," Seifer told her casually as he walked ahead of her. Upon hearing that, the proud female stopped in her tracks. She turned on her heel and headed back to the storage room. Seifer heard her foot steps stop and head back. He whirled around, surprised that he had taken his joke so seriously. "Professor Trepe!" he called out. "I'm just kidding! Can't you take a joke!?" 

Her answer was strong and firm. "No." 

"I expected that..." Seifer mumbled. He ran after her and grabbed her hand. 

She whirled around and glared at him. "Let me go, Seifer-" 

"Just come with me to the ball room," Seifer told her. "It's on the south side of the palace." 

"How would you know?" Quistis snapped. 

"Because it only makes sense," Seifer assured her. "If it's on the south side of the palace, it's by the front of the palace. And since it juts out, you would be able to see the sun rise on one side and set on the other." 

Quistis' blue eyes grew more questioning as he finished his sentence. *I won't admit it, but that IS a romantic notion.* 

Green eyes pleaded with her blue ones and she rolled her eyes and took a step forward. Seifer's cocky grin returned and he held her hand as he lead her through the ruins carefully. He made sure that she wouldn't fall over anything or trip over any of the fallen rubble. Quistis pretended not to care as her eyes looked around. 

The old palace they were in was massive. There were already two teams in there, not counting her one woman team, and she hadn't heard or seen them since they split up that morning. "It used to be several stories tall," Seifer said, almost wistfully as he lead her to the ball room. "But I guess most of it got worn and blown away." 

Quistis merely nodded. Most of the bottom floor had a roof. In some parts, there was evidence to four stories and a few minarets that circled the palace. The minarets had long fallen, but in the wider areas, the ceiling had been blown away. Seifer tugged gently on her arm. 

"What?" she grumbled as she looked back at him with a vicious glare. 

"We're here." he stated. He pulled her through the column lined doors of the once elegant ball room. Quistis reluctantly stepped through and stopped. 

Her eyes went wide as she saw the wide, open space before her. She had seen it's column lined patios from the outside, but she hadn't had a chance to look inside. She found that the ceiling was mostly gone, but there was a perfect circle at the center of the domed room. the walls were white alabaster carved with intricate patterns of leaves and vines all across the top of the room. 

Massive columns supported the ceiling as through the hole at the top, the sun shone directly on the center of the ball room. Seifer watched as Quistis' eyes took in the fallen splendor. "Hyne..." she whispered as she walked further into the room. "This must've been amazing..." 

"The opus," Seifer said as he pointed to the hole. "Used to be covered with glass so that at night the moon light would fall over the dancers." 

"Really?" Quistis said. She stood underneath it and looked up. She squinted her as she looked up at the cloudy sky with the rays of sun light peeking through it's haze. 

"It's really empty now, but during it's glory days, there would be sections for food, dancing, and a place for the bands and performers." Seifer told her. He walked up to her and Quistis turned to him with a pleased smile. 

"Okay," she said as her smile turned suspicious. "How'd you know all of that?" 

"That's a secret," Seifer grinned. He leaned closer to Quistis and could feel the heat of her body against his as she froze in her spot. "Like it?" 

His deep voice resonated in her body and Quistis suddenly felt like melting. She took a deep gasp and nodded slightly. "Yeah...it's great..." she said. She took one step back and looked back around the room. 

Seifer watched as she turned around and looked around the massive room like a child. Every so often she would rush over to a certain place and stop. Then she would rush back and stop to look at something. 

Quistis tried to busy herself with the designs on the wall and tried to suppress the heat that was covering her body. Every step she took, she knew that Seifer was watching her with those laughing emerald eyes. He unnerved her with that attitude of his. His cocky smile never ceased to stop infuriating her. 

But every time he touched her, her senses went into over drive. Her heart would start beating in her chest and her palms grew damp. Her face would blush and her entire body felt like she had been shocked. She hadn't even realized that she had stopped by one of the pillars that lined the wall to the outside of the palace. 

She felt two hands on her waist and she froze. "Chicken-wuss said something interesting the other day...for the first time," Seifer said. His warm breath blew past Quistis' ear. "Something about you being able to dance. Is that true?" 

"I...I think he was talking about Rinoa..." Quistis stammered. *Why isn't my body moving? MOVE dammit!* 

"Really?" Seifer asked coolly. "I could've swore he said you." His hand closed around hers and spun her around. Quistis' eyes went wide as she found herself crushed against him. 

"What...?" she gasped, her eyes wide open. Seifer smirked. 

"So you really can't dance then?" Seifer said with a teasing smirk. "I thought you'd be better than that." 

A scowl graced Quistis face as she pushed him away from her. "I have work to do!" she announced. 

Seifer didn't let her hand go as she tried to walk away. "Then take a break." 

* * *

_ "I don't WANT to dance with you!" Quistis growled. Rinoa looked up from where she was seated with Selphie, Zell, and Irvine. Quistis was practically being dragged to the dance floor by the elegantly dressed Prince of Centra himself. _

"Stop making a scene!" Seifer snapped. "Just shut up and dance, woman!" Quistis had more to say to him, but they were already in the middle of the dance floor with everyone watching them. 

"Seifer just keeps getting more and more persistent with Quistis, doesn't he?" Rinoa said as she watched the couple dance. 

"Yeah...he's never been this attached to anyone before," Irvine commented. "Usually, he's done and over with his infatuations within a month or so." 

"Remember when he came by the shop with Squall and said that he wanted Squall to marry them?" Selphie laughed. Rinoa nodded and giggled. 

"Quistis was SO mad!" Rinoa said. "It got even worse when I asked him if he wanted to buy anything and he said Quistis." 

"Seifer just has no idea how to be charming," Irvine told him casually. He leaned back against the soft cushions they were on. "He just doesn't have that in him." 

"I'm glad that Quistis isn't falling for him right away," Zell added. "I think it's good that he's rejected a few times." 

"A FEW times?" Selphie gasped. "Every time he visits, Quistis refuses to talk to him." 

"And when she finally does, she's usually yelling at him." Rinoa nodded in agreement. 

"Still, it was nice of him to invite us to this party," Selphie said as she looked around the huge ball room. Nobles, monarchy, and the wealthy and renowned lined the ball room. They talked and ate amongst themselves as the little group sat to one corner. "It's really fun to watch the nobles' daughters getting all jealous because Quistis is dancing with Seifer." 

"You should've heard what they were saying earlier," Rinoa added. She motioned for the three of them to lean forward so she could tell them. "Several daughters' parents have talked to the King and Queen about marriage to Seifer." 

"No way," Irvine said with large eyes. "They'd actually LET their daughter marry that uncouth man?" 

"I guess so," Rinoa nodded. "But so far, the King and Queen have been hesitant in arranging anything." 

"That's because they know if they did Seifer would probably run away and kidnap Quistis or something." Zell replied. The group laughed. 

"Yeah, he would!" Rinoa laughed. 

Zell looked up, past Rinoa and waved. "Hey! Squall's here!" Rinoa immediately froze as she felt her entire body burn up. Slowly, she turned her head and saw the handsome young man walking towards them in confident strides that reminded her of a cat stalking it's prey. 

Selphie began to nudge Rinoa in the ribs as she giggled and pointed over to Squall. Rinoa rolled her eyes. She HAD seen him coming. "About time you got here," Irvine said as the man took his seat on one of the cushioned couches behind where Rinoa was seated on a floor cushion. "We're almost out of wine." 

"I don't drink," Squall told him casually. "Unless it's a special occasion." 

"It's party!" Zell told him exasperated. "Of course it's a special occasion." 

Squall's cool and collected blue eyes landed on Zell's. "I meant a religious one." 

"Oh..." 

"Where are Seifer and our future Queen?" Squall asked calmly as he laid back against the soft cushions of the couch. A servant girl passed him and offered him a drink. He shook his head and she went away. 

"Dancing," Selphie said. "He came and dragged Quistis up." 

"I think it's kind of cute when they're not fighting," Rinoa said. She turned her head towards the dance floor. She had to admit that Seifer knew how to dance the formal dances well. Quistis had been attending these things since she was a child and could easily match Seifer's pace. "I think they're going to go be a good ruling couple. After all...SOMEONE has to rule the country and I doubt Seifer will be able to." 

"Here's to that!" Zell said. He raised his cup and the group, except for Squall, toasted it. 

"Miss Caraway," a voice said to their left. Rinoa turned and stood up immediately. She bowed her head formally. 

"Good evening, your majesty," Rinoa said with a warm smile. "How are you this evening?" 

"Very well, thank you," said the tall, elegant black haired woman. She was wearing dark robes lined with gold. Her long dark hair was held up in a tight bun beneath a slender gold crown as golden earrings danged from her ears. She had a heavy, thick necklace and bracelets on her pale arms. "Miss Trepe said that you would grace us with your talents this evening. We were wondering when you going to begin?" 

Rinoa's eyes went wide and she nodded. "Whenever you wish me to, your majesty. It's an honor to perform before the royal court." 

"Excellent," Queen Edea told her with a warm smile. "Please begin when you so wish to." 

Rinoa bowed her head and waited for the elegant Queen to return to her husband. Selphie tugged on the edge of Rinoa's dress. "So you're really going to do it?" 

"I have to now," Rinoa said in a low voice. She frowned and tossed a glare at Quistis. "Ooh...I'm going to get even with her." 

"I think she's been punished enough," Irvine said. He looked up at Rinoa and grinned. "So what's the General's Daughter going to perform?" 

"The only dance I'm half way decent at," Rinoa said as she headed for the band to request her song. "The Seduction of Shiva." 

Irvine looked pleased, Zell looked impressed, Selphie nodded, as if approving of Rinoa's dance. Squall merely lifted up an eyebrow. He'd seen that dance once performed by some traveling entertainers. It was a dance performed by women, but usually there was one main dancer accompanied by lesser dancers who hadn't learned the dance completely. 

However, from what Squall could remember, the dancers were barely clothed in strips of multi-colored sheer fabric. Their faces were covered except for their eyes as their bare arms, legs, and stomach twisted and turned in accordance with the dance. The Seduction of Shiva was an elegant, almost erotic dance, representing a Guardian's loyalty to her master. To the point where she would not just fight, but would give her body for him. And for the virginal Guardian, that was the peak of loyalty. 

Quistis suddenly appeared with Seifer tailing behind her. "Why didn't any of you stop him!?" she demanded as she sat back down on the couch next to Zell. 

"He's our prince," Zell told her. "He could have our head cut off or something." 

"Oh, Hyne..." Quistis sighed. She looked around. "Where's Rinoa?" 

"Plotting your demise," Selphie said with a grin. "She has to dance now because you told the Queen that she would." 

Quistis winced. Rinoa would get her back for sure. Probably using Seifer just to make it even worse for her. Just as she thought that, the tall blond laid down on the cushion before her feet. "So what's happening? Why is the music stopping?" he asked. He reached for stack of grapes and held it up. "Quistis, could hold this and feed it to me?" 

"No." she stated sternly. She resisted the urge to kick him in the gut. 

"You're no fun." Seifer pretended to pout. 

"Rinoa's going to dance," Irvine reported. "The Dance of Siren?" 

"The Seduction of Shiva," Selphie corrected him. "Hyne, Irvine, don't you know your dances?" 

"Was I ever out there dancing?" Irvine asked, raising an eyebrow. Selphie thought for a moment and nodded. 

Suddenly, the heard the music start up and a rhythmic beat echoed through the ball room. Everyone seemed to clear the dance floor as a young woman stepped out from the crowd. Sounds of awe were heard through the crowd as a pale skinned woman dressed in light blue top and short skirt underneath a sheer white cloak stood underneath the moon lit spot underneath the room's opus. 

A long blue scarf went around her neck and covered her nose and mouth. A sheer white scarf went over her face, blurring her eyes. Her mid back length dark hair fell around her face as gold head pins were pinned into her hair to keep the scarf and it's accessories dangling around it. She took a deep breath and tried to gain the rhythm of the music. 

She was barefoot and her feet were adorned with gold jewelry. Her hands had matching jewelry. In her hand was a silver sword, which was used in the beginning of the dance. She took her place kneeling in front of the crowd as the beat grew stronger. Squall leaned forward on his couch and watched with interest. 

The pipes and drums began to play and Rinoa opened her eyes. The sword, which she had been kneeling in front of was lifted in her right hand. She leaned all the way back, until her head touched the floor by her feet as she swung the sword over her body, almost touching the top of her stomach as she did so. 

She sat up, raising the sword over her head and swinging it smoothly around her body as her stood up with a quick motion and seemed to dance with the sword in her hand. The scarves tied to it's base wrapped around her arm as she waved it over her head and around her body. As she leapt around the room, it meant that she was fighting off someone to protect her master. 

"Where's she get the costume?" Selphie said as she leaned over to Quistis. 

"Probably from the dancer's quarters." Quistis deduced. 

Finally, Rinoa slowed down and allowed the sword to fall in from her hands. She turned her back to the crowd and slowly lifted her arms out straight and raised them right above her head. She arched her back backwards as the fast sound of drums echoed in the room. Everyone began to clap as her hips moved from side to side in a smooth motion. 

The bang members began to chant the sound as Rinoa's arms moved up and down fluidly. They were calling out to the man she was seducing, before she straightened her body and whirled around. Shouts were give as she spun around the room, her arms in the air and to her sides, turning and coiling. 

Elaborate finger movements were used as her body moved from side to side, almost possessed by the music as everyone clapped around her. From where he was sitting, Squall could see that her eyes were closed and she was completely transfixed by the music. His eyes went down her body, watching her feet move from side to side. 

As she laid back on the ground and prostrated herself, Squall smiled. It was every man's favorite part of the dance. Perfectly named 'the act', Rinoa was supposed to represent Shiva actually in the middle giving her body to her opponent. As she moved her body up and down, like a snake, no one could see her hand move to the sword she had dropped earlier. 

Her pale fingers caressed it's handle as they coiled around it. Then it was the final movement. Rinoa, now on her knees with her back arched and her head touching the floor by her feet once more, lifted the sword and with one, swift final blow, sliced the head off of the opponent who would've been on top of her. She ended with bringing the sword forward and impaling it on the, representative of stabbing the opponent in the heart. 

As soon as it was over, everyone began to clap and cheer as she Rinoa sat there for a moment to catch her breath. She stood up back up, using the sword to push herself up and smiled as she headed back to the changing room. Her heart was still racing. 

The look on Squall's face could only be described as appreciative. 

* * *

"UGH!!!" Rinoa looked up from where she was, sitting at the research table cleaning off the third tablet, as Quistis stormed. 

"What's wrong?" Rinoa asked with a slight frown as Quistis slammed her notes on the table. 

"A whole day has gone to waste!" Quistis nearly yelled, making Rinoa jerk her head back. "Because of HIM!" She pointed to the door way, where she knew Seifer would be standing. 

"Oh, come on...you know you liked it." Seifer said with a cocky grin. 

"What?" Rinoa asked. She tilted her head to side. "Wait, what's going on?" 

"I swept her off her feet, that's what's going on," Seifer replied before Quistis could answer. "We danced the day away!" 

From his corner, Squall rolled his eyes and returned to the book he was reading. A slight part of him felt jealous at the fact that Seifer had danced with Quistis and therefore had actually been close to her the whole day where as Rinoa wouldn't even look at him. Even thought he knew it was for the best, it still annoyed him. 

"Is everyone ready!?" another voice shouted from the door way. Selphie ran in, putting her tools on the table as she smiled brightly. "Irvine and Zell are getting their cars!" 

"Ugh, I'm sorry, Selphie," Quistis said tiredly. "But I think I've had my fill of goofing off today." 

"WHY?" Selphie whined. She frowned and looked up at Quistis with large green eyes. "Quisty, we were going to have dinner and everything!" 

"I think I'll be fine with the cafeteria food." Quistis assured her softly. 

"Please, Quistis?" Selphie asked. 

"Yeah, Quistis," Rinoa said as she put the tablet away. "C'mon, you deserve to go out and get something to eat. You didn't come with us when we went into town last time. It'll do you some good to have some food other than hot dogs." 

Quistis looked at both girls, who were giving her large sad eyes. She sighed and nodded. "Fine..." 

"Booyaka!" Selphie said. "C'mon, let's go! Seifer, Squall, are you guys coming?" she asked cheerfully. 

Rinoa froze as she closed the case where the tablets were kept. She vaguely heard Seifer say he was and waited for Squall's answer. 

"I think I'm going to stay here," Squall said coolly, noticing Rinoa's pause. "Someone might need a doctor." 

"Hmm...okay, have it your way," Selphie said with a frown. "We'll bring you back some food, 'kay?" 

Squall smiled slightly. "Thank you." 

"Let's go!" Zell shouted from outside. Selphie get a squeal of joy as she raced out. Quistis and Seifer followed behind her. Rinoa stopped as she reached the door way. 

"Umm..." she began reluctantly. "Do you have your list ready?" she asked in a hesitant voice. 

Squall looked up at her. Her back was turned to him. "Yes," He said softly. He looked over his notes and tore out a sheet of paper. He stood up and walked over to her. Rinoa could feel him breath just behind her. He pressed the paper into her palm and then he stepped back. "Thank you." 

"Yeah..." she mumbled. She nodded and quickly rushed outside. Squall watched her run down the path to where the cars were. He looked up at the sky and narrowed his eyes. 

*It's going to rain.* 

* * *

"Gauze...bandages...alcohol..." Rinoa went through the list that Squall had given her as she walked through a drug store in town. She had split up from the others when she said she had to pick up a few things for Squall first. 

Selphie was about to tease her about it when Irvine dragged her into the restaurant where they would eat dinner. Rinoa would meet them there. She walked up to the register and paid before heading out. Zell was waiting by his car so that Rinoa could dump the equipment inside before they went into the establishment. 

"So how much does he owe you?" Zell said as they walked into the restaurant. 

"Sixty seven gil," Rinoa answered. "Man, I hope I have enough for tonight's dinner." 

"Don't worry about it," Zell told her. "Irvine knows the lady who owns it." 

Rinoa smirked. "I bet Irvine knows all the ladies in this town." She and Zell laughed and the table looked up as they approached. 

"What are you laughing at?" Quistis asked curiously as Rinoa took a seat next to her. 

"She said that Irvine probably knows all the ladies in town." Zell said. Irvine rolled his eyes, but gave a proud grin. 

"Let's just order..." Seifer grumbled. They looked at their menus and quickly ordered their meals. Irvine ordered for them, charming the waitress as he did so. Selphie just gave him a questioning look and he sheepishly replied that he was doing it so they could get a discount. 

Right. The food came within a few minutes and they began to eat. About half way through the meal, Irvine cracked a joke that sent the whole table laughing. As he tossed his head back, he caught the sight of someone reaching the bar. 

"Hey...hey!" Irvine shouted. "Hey, Squall!!!" 

Rinoa felt her heart stop as she bit into her chicken. The group turned and saw Squall making his way through the crowded restaurant towards them. "What are you doing here?" Zell said as he ate a sausage. "I thought that you weren't going to come." 

"I forgot to add something to that list I gave Rinoa, so I came to get it," Squall replied. "I figured I should get something to eat before I left." 

"Why don't you join us?" Quistis said. She waved her hand in the air. "Waitress! Can we please get another chair!" 

"No, no, that's all right-" Squall began, but Selphie shook her head and waved for him to stay. 

"Non-sense!" Selphie said. The waitress came by and added another chair to their table, right next to Rinoa. "Have a seat. We're not done yet, anyway!" 

Squall hesitated but sat down. He was wearing dark pants and a white shirt underneath his usual leather jacket. "Thanks..." he mumbled. He raised his hand in the air and a pretty young waitress immediately came over. She flashed him a bright smile. "I'll have my usual." 

"Of course, Dr. Leonhart." the waitress said, a flirtatious tone in her voice. 

"Looks like Irvine isn't the only one who knows the ladies," Selphie smirked as she ate her steak. "Huh, Squall?" 

"We just eat here a lot." Squall replied. 

"Sure..." Selphie winked. "Anyway, whose up for some late night shopping around here?" she asked with a devious grin. "I heard there are some really great bargains..." 

"I've got to get back to the camp," Quistis told her tiredly. "I'm absolutely drained." 

"I'll go with you." Seifer concluded. Quistis rolled her eyes, but didn't reply. 

"Can I drive you guys up?" Zell asked. Seifer scowled and was about to refuse, when Quistis agreed. "I think I'll grab some hot dogs from the cafeteria tent before it closes." 

"I'll go shopping with you," Rinoa said from where she was seated across from Selphie. "At least window shopping. I'm flat broke." 

"Oh yeah, you owe her like seventy gil for the supplies." Zell said. 

Squall nodded in understanding. The rest of the dinner went along uneventfully and then Quistis, who decided to ignore Seifer and speak to Zell about how magnificent his sketches of the ruins were, left with Zell and Seifer. They paid their share and exited the restaurant before the other four were finished. 

"So are you going to head back up?" Selphie asked Squall as they stepped out of the building. 

"I think I'll walk off the food a bit." Squall answered. He glanced over at Rinoa, whose lip twitched. 

The two girls looped arms ahead of Squall and Irvine and began to walk up the street and look into the stores. Irvine looked over at Squall. "You didn't need anything, did you?" he asked as the girls were out of hearing distance. 

Squall narrowed his eyes. "What do you think?" he snapped. 

The other man grinned. "I thought so." 

A hour passed by and they were making their way back down the street where their cars were parked. Selphie and Rinoa were talking rapidly about the scarf that Rinoa bought. "I don't care HOW much it costs," Rinoa insisted. "It's perfect!" 

Selphie nodded in agreement. "It totally flattered you! The color, everything!" 

"Do you think I should wear it to the dinner next month?" Rinoa asked. 

"Oh yeah, definitely," Selphie agreed. They reached the front of the restaurant and Selphie looked across the street. "Rinoa, look!!" The taller brunette looked across the street. Selphie was already dashing across. 

"Selphie, wait!" Rinoa gasped. She looked both ways and when no cars were coming, she ran after her friend. 

Irvine smiled. "I swear, they haven't changed a bit." he chuckled. 

"But they're still not-" 

"Them, I know..." Irvine said. He looked over at Squall with a concerned look. "Listen, I know you don't want to hear it. I know you also don't want to believe it, but they're still the same souls. Just in different bodies that happen to look like them." 

"I already told you before, Irvine," Squall told him tiredly. "Rinoa is not MY Rinoa." 

"Then why didn't you leave?" Irvine asked casually. "Why are you still here? Why didn't you go back up to the camp?" 

"I just didn't want her to be around a pervert like you." Squall replied smoothly. Irvine groaned. 

"Okay, let's go!" a voice shouted. The two men looked up and saw Selphie running towards them. "Irvine, get in the car! Squall, can you wait for a Rinoa and drive her back? Thanks!" 

"Wait a second, where's Rinoa?" Irvine asked. Selphie just grabbed his arm and dragged him to his car. 

"Shhh!" Selphie said. He looked down at her face and saw the conspiring look in her eyes. He immediately got the idea and grinned. He unlocked his red car and they got in. 

"Hey, Squall! Have a fun time!" Irvine winked. Squall suddenly realized what they were doing and took a step forward. It was too late. Irvine peeled out of his parking spot and into the street. 

"Irvine!" Squall growled. *That bastard, I'll kill him!* 

He looked back across the street at the store. Occasionally, he would see Rinoa look out through the door and then return back inside. After fifteen minutes, she came outside. She had looked out the door and saw Squall, and only Squall, standing there. Mentally cursing her luck, she took a deep breath and walked across the street. 

"Where are Irvine and Selphie?" she asked casually as she looked around. 

"They ditched us." Squall stated. 

"They WHAT!?" Rinoa's eyes went wide as she heard that. "WHY!? Wait..." she paused and thought for a moment. *She left me in there and then ran off with Irvine! I'll KILL HER!!!* 

"Let's get going," Squall said. He turned away from her and headed towards his car. "It's going to start raining soon." 

As soon as he said it, it began to rain and Rinoa frowned. Squall turned around and let out a slight chuckle as he saw her standing there, not able to believe that it was actually raining. Grumbling, she walked after him. Her dark hair was getting wetter and darker as rain fell on it. Squall looked up at the sky and knew it wasn't going to quit any time soon. 

"Where's you car?" she mumbled as she stood next to him. 

"It's right here." he said. He lifted up a remote and charcoal metallic black Jaguar beeped in front of them. Rinoa's eyes nearly fell out. Squall opened the door for her and Rinoa felt her face grow warm. 

Even that simple movement made him look like a dashing knight. Reluctantly, she got into the car and he closed it after her. She watched him jog around the front of the car and get into the driver's seat. "Hyne, I'm soaking...and it's only been raining for a minute." 

"It's desert rain," Squall said. "It's hard and heavy." 

"I guess..." Rinoa mumbled. She buckled her seat belt as the car started. *Wow... what a nice car...* The radio turned on and classical Centran music filled the car. *And a refined taste in music...you're too perfect, aren't you?* 

"Are you okay?" Squall asked as he pulled out into the street. "Do you want the heater on or something?" 

"No, I'm fine," Rinoa replied quickly. He was just a foot from her. Her entire left side, the side closest to him was starting to tingle. *I'm too close...WAY too close...I will kill Selphie.* 

*I'm going to kill Irvine,* Squall thought to himself as they drove down the street. *The stupid little...I can't believe he'd set me up like this...* 

The drive was silent as they reached the outskirts of the town. Through the wall of rain, Squall saw something up ahead and breaked. Rinoa was pushed forward and she turned to look at him sharply. She was about to complain when she saw him looking forward. 

"A car accident?" she murmured. *No...NO, this is the ONLY road back!!* 

"Oh, Hyne..." Squall grumbled as he hit the steering wheel. "They've got to be kidding me..." 

Right in front of them, there was a car flipped over on it's back. People were lined along the side walk and to make things worse, the road had been washed out. Rinoa's eyes went wide. "I'm going to kill Selphie!" If it weren't for her, they would be on the other side of the washed out road heading back towards the camp. She would be away from Squall and happy. 

"You can help me kill Irvine, too." Squall grumbled. He put his car into reverse and looked behind him. He quickly made a three point turn and headed back into town. 

"Squall, where are we going?" Rinoa said as she looked back at the accident behind them. "There's no other way to the camp!" she exclaimed as she looked over at him. 

"We can't go back until the road is back." he told her simply. 

"Then where are we going?" Rinoa gasped. "I can't afford a room! And I don't even have my phone with me!" 

"We'll call them from my place." Squall replied. Rinoa looked at him. 

"YOUR place!?" she gasped. Her mind was settled. For the high uncomfort level she would feel for the rest of the night, she would kill Selphie the next time she saw her. 


	6. You Remind Me

**Mythology**  
_Chapter Six: You Remind Me..._  
By PasifiKStaR

**Author's Note**: Sorry it took me so long to update this. I wanted to try to finish "Watching You" and I did. I won't stop this story. I'm not as happy with it as I thought I would be, but it's still reasonably fun to write. :)

All Standard Disclaimers Apply: I do not own Final Fantasy.

* * *

Squall's PLACE, Those words echoed in Rinoa's mind for about the hundredth time as she focused her chocolate brown eyes outside the window. She wanted to look at something, anything, other than Squall or Squall's car. Is this some sort of joke? I can't believe Selphie would do this to me!...I mean, I doubt the road being washed away was her idea, but when she gets her mind on something... 

That cheap cowboy hat wearing bastard, Squall thought to himself as he concentrated on the rain soaked streets. The outdoor markets were closing up earlier than usual due to the rain or just moving their goods indoors. Other people were running towards their homes as fast as their soaked bodies could take them. Is this some sort of a joke? I can't believe that he'd do this to me. Wait...yes I can.

They drove through the streets, towards the part of town that was settled below the foothills of stone ridges. There, resting up a concrete path and over looking the town, was a white washed, two story house. It's roof was lined with dark red tiles as red bricks lined the steps that lead up to the house.

Squall pressed a button on the remote that was clipped to his visor and the black iron gates with seals shaped like Griever, opened. Rinoa swallowed hard as they drove closer to the large house. Her heart was beating quickly, as if anticipating for it to come alive and eat her. She would be trapped.

Trapped with Squall. Her eyes slowly drifted over to the handsome doctor who parked the car in the 'u' shaped drive way. Her door was right in front of the heavy dark brown double doors that lead into the house. "Wait here, I'll get you an umbrella."

His voice cut through her thoughts and she turned her head just as his door slammed closed. She watched as he ran in front of the parked car and up the steps, lifting his jacket over his head in a futile attempt to keep dry. Squall opened the left door and she saw him enter. The lights within the dark house turned on and it suddenly looked inviting.

Maybe I should make a run for it? Rinoa though to herself. She frowned. Right...I'd probably drown. Another brilliant idea, Rinoa.

She turned her head back out her window and saw Squall rushing out with a large black umbrella. He opened her door. "Come on," he insisted. Rinoa scrambled to get her things. He took her hand and helped her up and Rinoa felt warm all over. "Fujin and Raijin might be in. Maybe Fujin can give you some of her clothes to wear for tonight."

"Th...thanks..." Rinoa mumbled. He held the umbrella over her body as he closed the door. He locked it with his remote and then ushered her inside. His arm was around her shoulders, keeping her closer to him and under the protection of the umbrella. "You...you really don't have to," she stammered as her cheeks flushed. "I'm soaked already."

"No need to get even more wet," Squall said. They entered the house and Rinoa looked up at the stairs in front of her. The house was reasonably big with two wings. The stairs narrowed as they reached the top and was split into the two wings. "Let me bring you a towel."

"Thanks..." she mumbled. She watched as Squall shrugged off his heavy leather jacket and hang it up on the coat rack by the door. Although drenched himself, he headed up the stairs and made a right. Rinoa watched as he opened the first door to the right and pulled out some dark blue towels.

"Catch!" he shouted from the second floor. Rinoa looked up and took a few steps forward to catch the large towel he had tossed down. It landed in her arms and she immediately began to unfold it. The large terry cloth wrapped around her body and she felt another towel land on her head.

"Hey!" she gasped. Her hair fell around her face as she swooped down and picked up the fallen towel. She looked up and glared at Squall, who let out a chuckle.

"I thought you might want one for your hair!" he said. He had his own towel around his neck and was making his way back down the stairs. "Come on up, I'll show you to a room."

"You didn't have to throw it at me..." she mumbled as she unfolded it as well and began to rub her hair with it. She walked up the stairs and met Squall halfway there. "It's heavy you know."

"I didn't throw it," he told her casually as they walked up the stairs. "I tossed it down."

"Yeah right...while you aimed it at my head, right?" she asked sarcastically as they reached the top floor.

"Right," Squall grinned. They made a left and headed down the corridor. "The kitchen, living room, den, dining room, and gym are downstairs. The bedrooms are all up here. It looks like Fujin and Raijin are away."

"Fujin and Raijin...aren't they Seifer's cousins?" Rinoa asked, with narrowed eyes.

Squall nodded, his back still turned to her. "His cousin and her husband. I offered to let them stay here while they were in town, but they're probably else where," He stopped at the door to the farthest end of the hall and opened it. "This has it's own bathroom. Umm..." Squall rubbed the back of his neck. "I don't have any women's clothes..." he mumbled.

"Do you have a dryer?" Rinoa asked as she stepped into the dark room.

Squall nodded. "Down stairs."

"If I leave my wet clothes outside the door, can you put them in there for me and return them as soon as they're dry?" she asked. "That way I have something to wear."

"Sure," Squall said, he turned around and began to head down the rest of the hall. "Just call when they're ready."

"Thanks."

"And I'll call the others - tell them we're here." he added. Rinoa nodded and closed the door. Her hand ran along the side of the wall and easily found a light switch. She flipped it up and looked around.

The bed was a simple king size mattress with a box spring on an black iron frame. The frame's rose on all for corners creating the poles of a canopy. They curved in wards a good seven feet from the center of the bed and melted together to make a sort of dome frame. Yards of soft, sheer linen fell from the peak and wrapped around the iron posts. On either side of the bed were Iron night stands of the same black, leafy design with a glass counter. Sheer white fabric was put over them.

There was a lamp that hung over the center of the room and to one side, there was a matching desk and chair, and a dresser across from what looked like a walk in closet. Rinoa bit her lip and walked over to explore her room. She looked around and headed into the bathroom. There was a large tub lined with marble and then a shower. The sink was a simple design, and there was a separate little room for the toilet.

She walked back into the room and walked towards the large double doors. She pulled aside the curtains and looked down at the town below them and at the rain. The rain made her remember her clothes and she quickly stripped herself of the wet, clingy material. She put the soaking mess on to one of the towels and wrapped it in a little ball. Rinoa then walked towards the door and opened it just a crack.

When she was sure that Squall was no where to be seen, she slipped her ball of wet clothes outside. "SQUALL!" she shouted. "The clothes are ready!"

"All right!" a voice shouted in reply. She slammed the door closed and immediately locked it. Shivering slightly, she walked back to the hotel and found some guest towels tucked away. Taking a few, she headed over to the shower.

* * *

Squall opened his door from where he was across the hall, in the other wing. Across the hall, he could make out the lump of clothes wrapped in a towel in front of Rinoa's door. Casually, he walked out towards it, barefooted and wearing only his pants. He had been preparing for a shower himself when she shouted. When he reached her room, he heard the shower turn on and sighed heavily. 

He would have to wait until she was done. He picked up her clothes and headed towards the stairs. He stopped halfway down and headed up the stairs to get his own wet clothes. He quickly changed into some dry pajama bottoms and tossed her clothes along with his into a plastic basket and carried it down stairs.

He reached the kitchen and headed past it to the washing machine and drier. His hair was damp against his head as he began to toss their things into the drier. He untied her towel ball and tossed in her sweater. Her jeans. Her socks. Her...bra. Squall swallowed and quickly tossed it in. He looked down at the only piece of clothing in the towel. A baby blue pair of lacy panties.

Tearing his eyes away from it and trying to block all the allusions that those panties caused, Squall tossed it into the dryer. He slammed it's lid closed and started it up. He leaned against the washing machine next to it and ran his hand down his face. I just touched Rinoa's underwear... his mind shouted. Oh, Hyne...

* * *

Rinoa stepped out of the shower and dried herself with one of the guest towels. She smiled, the hot shower had really relaxed her. For a moment, she had forgotten that she was in Squall's home. Surrounded by Squall's things...drying herself with Squall's guest towels. She paused as she looked at herself in the mirror, her hair in a towel turban. 

Wait...I have no clothes...I can't just sit here naked while my clothes are being dried... she thought. Well, technically, I CAN...but I don't want to.

Suddenly she paled. Her bra and panties were also in the pile that she had given Squall. Meaning when he put them in the dryer... Swearing, she rushed to the door and quickly unlocked it. Her mind was praying for her ball of clothes to still be there. As she opened the door a crack, she saw that it was long gone and groaned.

She closed the door and leaned against. "Your clothes will be done in forty-five minutes!" a voice shouted. She opened her door once more and saw Squall close his door.

"Yeah...forty-five minutes...great..." she mumbled. What would she do for forty-five minutes in the room? It didn't even have a t.v.

She stood up, locking the door, and headed for her bed. As she fell back on the soft sheets, she smiled. They were of excellent quality, she realized. They felt good against her skin and she blushed.

The whole scenario seemed like something out of a cheesy airport romance novel. There she would be, innocently waiting for her clothes to dry while laying on a pristine bed of soft, silken sheets, when the door would burst open. Squall would stride in, oozing out pheromones like there was no tomorrow. He'd be wearing only his leather pants, which were like a second skin on his tight butt.

Rinoa giggled. Then he would tear away the sheets that she would be holding to cover herself off in a second of animalistic hunger before making sweet, passionate love to her. The young woman laid there, feeling her entire body grow warm. I can't believe I just thought of that...it's so...cliched...

She frowned and got up. She looked in the closet, but found nothing but more towels. She was already wearing one around her body. She went to the dresser and found that they were all empty. This must've been an extra guest room, she reasoned. She wandered around the room for a few more minutes, still dressed in a towel. Her feet were cold against the stone floor and she wished for at the very least slippers or something.

"Rinoa!" a voice shouted. "If you need anything, I'll be downstairs!" Squall shouted. Rinoa blushed.

Yeah, like I'd go downstairs...dress in nothing but a towel... her mind sung. Grumbling she looked around the room. The towel wasn't nearly big enough to keep her warm and she didn't know if Squall's house had a heater.

She wanted to explore the house, but not while the man who made her uncomfortable was out there. And especially not without clothes. She looked around the room and her eyes stopped on the bed sheets.

* * *

Squall poured himself some vodka into a glass. He lifted the cold cup to his lips as he walked to the window and looked through the curtains. He frowned. The rain was obviously not going to stop any time soon. He ran one hand through his damp hair as he turned from the window and walked back to the den. 

He ran his hand down his face with his free hand. I have to remember to give Rinoa a tour of the place after her clothes are dry, he told himself calmly as he sat down against a well cushioned sofa. He stared intently at the large television in front of him, but didn't bother to turn it on. He just wanted some peace to forget about the woman who was upstairs waiting for her clothes to dry.

Squall suddenly stopped in mid sip. If he had put all of Rinoa's clothes into the dryer...then what was she wearing?

"Hey, Squall!" a voice shouted from the hall way behind him. The young doctor froze in his spot and felt his face burn up, but not from the alcohol. "Do you mind if I look around? Where are you?"

If all her clothes were in the dryer, what the hell was she wearing? Squall's mind came up with the most obvious answer, which was nothing. Quickly, he shook his head. He didn't want to disillusion himself. Rinoa would never walk around naked, even if it was just around him. She was much too modest.

He heard footsteps coming walking towards the den and he leaned deeper into the sofa, refusing to turn around and look out into the hall way. Don't come in...don't come in... his mind mentally chanted.

"Hey, are you in the den?" her voice called.

He cringed. Don't turn around, Squall...don't turn around... he changed his mantra.

"There you are!" The voice was right behind him and he paled. "Hey, I hope you don't mind that I'm dressed like this."

Squall's heart was racing in his chest as he heard her speak. "No..." he said, slightly nervously. "It's fine."

"Really?" Rinoa asked, relieved. Behind him, she smiled. "I thought you'd be mad."

"Mad? Why would I be mad?" he asked, his voice rising an octave. Rinoa tilted her head to the side.

"Well, you know," she began. He heard her footsteps enter the room and noticed him stiffen in his sofa. "Most people don't walk around like this. Especially in someone else's house."

"They usually don't." he agreed. He took a large drink of vodka.

"Well, I did it once in college, but it was just for the sake of doing it," Rinoa admitted. She was walking around the couch and Squall kept his face plastered on the blank television. "I mean, it was Selphie's idea and I always go along with her...I don't know how she does it."

"Selphie's idea?" Squall asked, unsure of how to act. It made some sense. Selphie was often the one who came up with the strange ideas. At least when he knew them.

Rinoa fell back against the recliner to Squall's right. His eyes stayed on the dark screen of the television and seemed to refuse to acknowledge her presence. Rinoa glanced over and frowned. "Squall, are you okay?"

He seemed to be concentrating. A little too hard... "I'm fine."

Rinoa let out a heavy sigh. "You are mad, aren't you?" she said quietly. "I'm sorry..."

"Don't be."

"I just didn't know what else to wear," Rinoa admitted. "I didn't want to wait up there the whole time. And I wasn't about to go wander around naked."

"What?" Squall asked. His head perked up and he tore his eyes off of the television. He turned to Rinoa and saw her sitting there, wearing the bed sheets from the guest room bed. His mouth dropped.

"...Are you SURE you're okay?"

Pervert! You PERVERT! Squall's mind scolded. He let out a low groan and nodded as he leaned forward and rubbed his forehead with his hand. "Yeah...I'm great..."

Rinoa shook her head and stood up. "You're the doctor..." she mumbled. She made sure her bed sheet toga was tied tightly before walking across the den floor to the window across the room. "Is it still raining outside?"

"It's not raining, it's a hurricane." Squall replied sarcastically.

Rinoa rolled her eyes and stood by the window. She pulled aside the dull blue curtains and looked out at the town below. She let out a heavy sigh and shook her head. Squall looked up and stared at her. Her hair was down falling past her shoulders in layered locks as soft brown eyes were focused away from him.

The light color of the sheets around her body were draped around her, almost touching her bare feet. Squall's cool blue eyes ran down her body, admiring it from where he was sitting. She turned her head and noticed the way he was looking at her and blushed.

"Squall...what are you doing?"

* * *

_"Squall," she giggled as she crossed her arms and looked at him. "What are you doing?" Despite her stern voice, her face was a dead give away at her true feelings. She was blushing, her eyes diverted nervously. _

He merely smiled and walked over to where she was standing by the side of the hall, right before the inner temple gardens. "I'm admiring you," he told her coolly. The immediate result was in her face as she turned a shade redder. He let out a chuckle as he stood in front of her and raised his hand. "Did you come to seduce the poor temple boy?" he asked, teasingly.

Rinoa shook her head and frowned. "I did not! I merely came to visit you."

"So you DID come to seduce the poor temple boy." he insisted, a smile gracing his handsome face as his hand gently swept back her dark tresses.

Rinoa stepped away and shook her head. "I am not seducing you."

"You're here. That's enough to." he replied.

Rinoa blushed furiously and looked around, hoping that no one heard him. "Squall, I just wanted to see you-"

"I missed you," he said with a soft smile. "You should come visit me more often."

"But you're busy..." she said, trailing off. "I do not want to disturb you-"

"You'd never disturb me," he assured her. His hand lowered from her face and touched her hand. Her delicate fingers were taken in his warm ones. "Rinoa-"

"Brother Squall! Brother Squall!" a voice was calling from the halls. Rinoa looked worried and looked up at Squall.

The temple boy frowned and glared at the hall way with his icy eyes. He seemed annoyed to have been disturbed. "Maybe another time-" Rinoa began, pulling her hand away.

Squall shook his head and tightened his hold on her. "Come on, I know a place." he told her as he looked back at her. Rinoa looked surprised as he turned and tugged her forward.

"Squall, they are calling you!" she protested weakly as she stumbled along behind him. She silently prayed that he would ignore her pathetic plea to return to his duty.

"They just want me to clean," Squall assured her as they scrambled out of the temple. "Do not worry about it."

She bit her lip as he slid to a stop before they turned a corner. He leaned against the wall, holding Rinoa against her. Carefully, he peeked around the corner and smiled as he looked down at her. His eyes told her it was safe to make a run for it. She nodded and held his hand tightly as they ran through the hall way and headed towards the back entrance.

"Where are we going?" she gasped as they shot out of the back entrance and into the outer back gardens of the temple. Fountains lined with statues and perfectly trimmed shrubs lined the long, sloping garden as they ran.

"Just follow me." Squall said. The amusement in his voice sent tingles up Rinoa's spine as she wondered what he had planned. They were running along side a sloping fountain that ran all the way down to a secluded area in the garden. There was a large, shallow lake at the base of the garden surrounded by neatly kept trees and bushes.

Rinoa looked around them. She'd never been that far into the secluded garden and had started passing statues of men and women she'd never seen before. There were gazebos in the distance where vines coiled up their columns as the marble that lined them shone in the full moonlight.

There was something exhilarating in the air as they seemed to run away from themselves for just a moment. But then again, she always felt that way when she was with Squall. Squall suddenly slowed down and pulled her into a hidden pathway to their left. She tilted her head to the side.

"Where-" she began, but his finger on her lip silenced her. She blushed at his touch once more and caught his pleased smile.

"We're almost there," he assured her softly. "Shh..."

Rinoa nodded numbly, transfixed by the reflection of herself in his eyes. Her heart was beating in her chest and she wondered if it would jump out of her toga at any moment. Gingerly, Squall lead her through a maze like tangle of branches. Her hems of her clothes were caught some stray branches several times, but she ignored it. It was a small price to pay.

Up ahead of them, she could see the exit and bit her lip. Squall emerged first and slowly lead her out. Rinoa brushed off her toga and stood up next to Squall. Her eyes went wide as she let out a gasp. "Oh...Squall..." she whispered softly.

There was a small clearing behind the foliage where a single stone bench over looked part of Centra. Rinoa turned her head and looked over at Squall. "Do you like it?" he asked softly. "I used to come here a lot when I wanted to get away from Seifer and the others."

She chuckled and nodded. "I see he was annoying then, too," she laughed. Squall chuckled and pulled her forward. He sat on the bench and Rinoa realized that there was only enough room for him. "Um...where am I supposed to sit?"

Squall smiled, a faint blush on his face. "Where else?" Rinoa's eyes slowly drifted to his lap as his hands still held on to hers. She blushed and he gently lead her on to his lap. Rinoa reluctantly sat across his thighs as his arms went around her slim waist and his lips pressed against her bared shoulders.

"So...how many other naive General's daughters have you lead here?" she asked casually as his warm lips caressed her slender neck. Her heart was racing in her chest as she closed her eyes and tilted her head back. Hyne, he felt so good.

"Just one," he said, his voice vibrating in his throat. "Guess who."

She bit her bottom lip and turned her head to receive his tentative kisses. "Me?"

"You win." he said between soft, moist kisses. Rinoa smiled as he tugged on her bottom lip.

"What do I win?" she asked, feeling her whole body on fire as one of his hands ran down the side of her body.

"Whatever you want."

"Then I want you."

* * *

"Squall..." Rinoa gasped. She was pinned between the wall and his bare chest as his arm rested to the side of her face. His eyes seemed to take on a different light as he loomed over her. Her heart was pounding in her chest as she struggled to look away and failed. 

"You remind me of someone." he whispered in a raspy voice. Rinoa's eyes went wide and her hands pressed against the side of the sturdy wall behind her.

"Who...?" she gasped out, all too aware of her burning face.

Squall's blue eyes suddenly became soft as his other hand rose and gently caressed her cheek. "You..." his voice trailed off as his warm lips laced with vodka pressed against hers. Rinoa's eyes went wide as she felt his other hand drop and run against the left side of her body, urging her to come closer.

At his touch, she melted in his arms and responded unknowingly. Her hands left her sides and slowly traced his perfectly sculpted body. She could feel his beating heart against her palm as her other hand slipped to his back. Every toned muscle could be felt under her finger tips as she opened her mouth for a breath.

Her lips were immediately assaulted with his demanding ones and she let out an unconscious moan. Her eyes were closed and she felt as if she were on a heavy drug that was slowly sedating her. She could feel him pressing against her, pushing her against the wall as her arms went around his lean body. His hands slipped underneath the folds of her make shift dress and sent searing burns across her supple flesh.

His lips trailed down her chin and down her sensitive throat. Her gaping mouth was left empty as his mouth roamed her collar bones. She whimpered weakly as a simple, quick tug of his arms sent the sheets tumbling down to her bare feet. The cool air in the room was all but forgotten as her body heated up dangerously.

"Squall..." she gasped out as her fingers ran through his thick, inviting hair. He parted from her for a moment and lifted up his head to admire her soft features.

She looked into his eyes, trying to find the reason why he was suddenly all over her and making her nothing more than a puddle in his arms. Instead, she found pulsating warmth and love over his eyes. His hands rose to her face and cupped her cheeks in their palms.

His lips kissed her forehead as she closed her eyes. She felt warm drops of water touch her skin and she opened her eyes slowly. Squall's eyes were closed as he caressed her with intent kisses. A single streak from a lone tear was on his left cheek and she suddenly felt a wave of pain wash over her.

Her heart ached for him suddenly and she held him tightly against her. She buried her face in his shoulder and wrapped her arms around his neck. She didn't want to say anything. All she knew was that Squall was practically shaking in her embrace. She could feel his pain oozing out of him with every movement. She wanted to know what was running through his mind, to know why he suddenly felt so vulnerable against her.

But she couldn't bring herself to ask. "I missed you..." He whispered. Rinoa's heart clenched in her chest. His voice had begged her to reply.

She merely nodded and kissed him softly. "I..." she took a deep breath. "I missed you, too..."

* * *

Thunder sounded and Rinoa's eyes flew open. She was laying on the soft sheets of a large bed. Her hands tightened around the blanket that rested at her chin. Her brown eyes slowly moved around the room. Outside, she could still hear the slight sounds of the rain hitting the roof. The storm was obviously not yet over. 

She turned her head from the window and towards the inside of the bed. Her eyes went wide and her body drained of color. Soft wisps of brown hair fell against her dark hair as a sleeping face greeted her. His lips were opened slightly and his warm breath caressed her bare skin. After immediately realizing who he was, her body turned bright red.

What is Squall doing in my bed? her mind asked. She narrowed her eyes and looked around once more. Wait...what am I doing in SQUALL's bed?

Suddenly, Squall's face contorted with concentration as he let out a grumble and rolled over on to his back, lifting the arm Rinoa didn't even know was on her midsection up. Her heart was beating in her chest as she clutched the sheet over her body. Her eyes darted around the room, searching for the door.

She found it across the room. The dawn hadn't broken yet from what she could tell and so it was still dark. But in order to escape Squall's bedroom, she had to first escape Squall's bed. She gently looked over at him once more and blushed. Part of her didn't want to leave. Not after earlier that night.

He had treated her like the most fragile thing in the world. Every caress was tender and filled with indescribable emotion. To be held in his arms made her feel wanted and loved, more so than ever. It had felt so right, yet in the back of her mind, she wanted to know why he had turned on her like that.

Her leg dangled off the side of the bed and touched the wood floor. The chilly sensation brought her back into reality. A reality where Squall probably didn't really feel that way about her. Where it was all in the moment and they didn't really share a deep rooted love for each other.

Both her feet planted on the ground and took a deep breath. She looked over her shoulder once more and found Squall still breathing in deep, even breaths. Rinoa stood up, taking a sheet of bedding with her. She quickly wrapped it around herself before tip toeing to the door.

She looked back once more as she opened the wooden door, letting cool air seep into the warm room. Her heart ached to stay with him, but her mind told her to stop fooling herself. She turned back to the hall way and slipped out.

The door closed and Squall's eyes opened.

* * *

Rinoa pulled the edges of her bed sheet gown higher as she quickly walked through the hall. She stopped and realized she had taken a wrong turn and wasn't sure which room was hers. Mentally swearing, she turned around and walked back down the hall until she found the stairs. She had remembered that her clothes were still in the dryer. 

She ran her hand along the side of the wall until she found a light switch. She flipped it on and illuminated the stair well and the foyer at the bottom of it. She tightened the bed sheets around her once more and put one hand on the railing as she walked down the stairs. Her bare feet touched the cold ground and shot chills up Rinoa's spine.

She reached the bottom of the stairs and decided to turn into the left hall way. She never did get that tour she had wanted.

Rinoa blushed and stopped in mid step. Instead she had been swept up in his arms and lost in him for hours. Her heart skipped a beat and she smiled sadly. It's not going to happen again, Rinoa... she scolded herself. She looked up and headed down the hall way. Don't even think of it anymore...you saw the way he acted before. He's only going to grow colder now...I just know it.

In an attempt to forget about her problems, she rushed around the lower halls. She found the kitchen and dining room. She passed the den, which she had to tear herself away from. There were just a few more doors down the hall way. She sped up and stopped.

One door was open half way and there was a cool breeze coming out. From inside, she could hear the loud rain drops fall on the roof. It sounded as if it were raining inside the room as well. Frowning, she looked down and up the hall. She placed her hand on the door and pushed it open.

The room had almost no furniture expect for some cabinets and isles. There were some empty canvases leaning against the far left corner. The wall across from the door was taken up by a series of glass doors and windows, which lead outside to a patio. The doors were all open and she could see the rain dropping on the cement of the patio from the canopy above it.

The cool, clean wind blew the sheer white curtains into the room. Rinoa stepped in and looked around. Other than the shapes of the objects in the room, she couldn't make out anything else. Her hand ran along the side of the wall until she found the light switch. She flicked it on and her eyes went wide.

Rinoa found herself staring into her own eyes. She whirled around as she stumbled into the room and found portraits of different sizes, all of her. She was painted on the canvas using numerous median, dressed in different colored togas.

She wasn't always looking at the painter, and sometimes she looked as if she were dreaming of a far off place. She knew they were her. Her face surrounded her. Hair that matched the shade hers was framed her painted faces. Gentle strokes added her golden high lights on her bangs.

She turned around again, still unable to believe that the room was lined with paintings of her. Her heart was racing as her breath grew shallow. How could a man she had just met a few days ago paint her? Who was that woman? It couldn't have been her. It was impossible.

Her heart stopped. It would make so much sense why Squall had told her that he missed her. He hadn't been talking about HER specifically. He had been talking about the woman in the paintings, whoever she was. The woman that Squall loved. Loved so much that it hurt.

She sniffled and narrowed her eyes as tears rimmed her lashes. She was being compared to a ghost. She reminded him of a ghost from his past. A woman that was long gone. Her heart was tearing in her chest. She could feel it twisting as she closed her eyes and ran her hands down her face.

She had the face of a ghost that Squall loved.

As the room seemed to whirl around her, taunting her with the memory of a dead woman, Rinoa found herself falling to her knees. The sheets around her body fell around her. She didn't notice the shadow at the door way.

"What are you doing here?"

Rinoa's eyes went wide and her head shot up. She turned and saw Squall standing in the door way wearing his pants from the night before. He was barefoot and not wearing a shirt. His hair was messy and falling over his face.

What's going on? her mind screamed. His eyes had reverted to a cold blue look that pierced through her body.

Without a word, he strode across the room to where she was seated on the cold marble floor. Her eyes went wide as his arm swept down and grabbed her upper arm. She winced as he hoisted her up roughly. "What are you doing here?" he asked again, his voice sounding angry.

Rinoa swallowed. She was at a loss for words and slowly shook her head. "Who is she?" she gasped softly.

Squall narrowed his eyes as they locked on to hers. She didn't move. She couldn't. She was trapped in his eyes. Cold eyes that seemed to be searching her for the answer. Her heart was ready to burst in her chest.

It seemed like an eternity that they were standing there. Squall's grip on her arm was slowly weakening. Suddenly, she tore her arm from him and shoved him aside. "Rinoa!" he shouted.

She didn't pay any attention to him. She couldn't be in that room with those faces watching them. She couldn't be in that room with him. Rinoa tore down the hall, running into the wall as she reached a corner. She pushed herself off the wall and rushed towards the main doors.

She could hear him shouting behind her as she grabbed the brass door handles. She stumbled with the locks as she struggled to open the door. As Squall emerged from the hall way behind her, she finally was able to open one of the doors. Rinoa shot outside, not caring that it was raining.

The dawn was going to break soon, lightning up the darkness of the rain filled sky. She clutched her soaked sheets against her body as she ran barefoot into the drive way. She didn't know where she was running, she just knew she had to get away.

Tears were stinging in her eyes. It hurt. It hurt to know that Squall didn't love her. He was in love with the woman in the picture. A woman that she merely looked like. She didn't know why it hurt so much, but it did.

Squall ran out after her without hesitation. His longer legs allowed him to catch up with her easier. He shot out his hand and grabbed her forearm. Rinoa felt the pressure around her arm as she was pulled back. She turned her head, dark wet hair flying around her face as she did.

"I'm not her!" Rinoa shouted as tears stung her eyes. Squall's eyes softened as she stood a few feet from him, refusing to come any closer. Her lips were trembling as the drops of water fell over them. "I don't know who she is...but I'm not her!"

Her voice was shaking and in broken sobs. Squall closed his eyes tightly and nodded. "I know..." he admitted weakly. He opened his blue orbs once more and looked at her intently. "That's why I don't know what to do..."

Rinoa's trembling legs took a step forward. She stumbled ahead and threw her arms around his neck. Squall stood there, unsure of what to do as she buried her face against him. "I'm sorry..." she whispered. "But I'm not her..."

Squall closed his eyes as his arms wrapped around her shivering body. He swallowed and allowed his embrace to tighten around her. "I don't think I want you to be..." he whispered.

They stood there in the down pour. Time ceased to exist. Rinoa couldn't understand why her heart felt like it belonged to him. Her fingers pressed into his bare back. Her voice was shaken and confused as she pulled away from him. She looked up into his eyes with lost brown ones. "Who are you...?"

* * *

Selphie looked outside the research tent and frowned. "I wonder how long it's going to be like this..." she mumbled.

"Probably a few days," Quistis said behind her as she dusted off the third tablet. "At least they called."

"Yeah, but I'm kind of worried about her," Selphie admitted. She returned to her seat in the tent next to Quistis and looked over at her friend. "Think she's mad?"

"Think?" Quistis asked, sarcastically. She looked up from what she was doing and frowned. "I KNOW she's mad. You're going to be in for it when she comes back."

Selphie smiled sheepishly. "But hey...it can't be all that bad. Doesn't Squall drive a nice car?"

"Yeah, I doubt the girl whose had a chauffeur for half her life is going to be impressed with a nice car." Quistis said, rolling her eyes.

Selphie giggled. "You never know..."

"Quisty!" a voice shouted from outside the tent. Quistis nearly dropped the brush was using to clean the tablet.

Her blue eyes grew wide and fearful. "Oh no...he found me..." she whimpered.

The tent flap was opened and pushed aside. Seifer walked in, mud all over his boots despite the umbrella he was holding. He turned his back to the tent and shook out and closed his umbrella. He turned around and walked in. "There you are!"

"I'm busy." Quistis snapped immediately. Seifer frowned and walked over to her.

"Why don't we-"

"No."

"Breakfast is being-"

"No."

"But last night-"

"Nothing happened last night so stop talking like something did!" Quistis growled. Seifer jerked his head back. Quistis was seething.

"Umm..." Selphie said as she headed for the exit. "I'll leave you to alone."

"Selphie, no-" Quistis began, but it was too late. The petite brunette was already outside, running up the camp. Damn...

Seifer pulled a chair next to Quistis. "What are you doing?" he asked sweetly.

Quistis eyed him suspiciously. "I'm cleaning tablets."

"Need help translating?" he asked coolly.

"No."

"I can make it faster-"

"I like doing it the long way." she insisted. Seifer raised an eyebrow but shrugged. He looked over the tablet that was on the table.

"The dawn broke and as he watched her body disappear, he knew she was gone," Seifer read. "The love of his life had died that very moment. She was nothing more than a shell now."

"What are you doing?" Quistis grumbled, putting down her tools in frustration. "I told you, I don't need your help-"

"I'm not helping. I'm reading." Seifer countered.

"Ugh! Then read silently!" she snapped.

Seifer merely snorted and continued reading. "They asked him what he would do and he said that he had to help her rest."

"Help WHO rest?" Quistis grumbled, unaware that she even asked the question. Seifer grinned, knowing he was reaching her.

"To help the general's daughter's spirit rest," Seifer explained. Quistis stopped what she was doing. Seifer knew he hit a chord. "He loved her more than life itself and he devoted the rest of his life to making sure that she would rest in peace."

Quistis narrowed her eyes. "I thought that he ended up killing her body and so she did rest in peace."

Seifer looked over at Quistis and with teasing green eyes smiled. "She'll return," Seifer said, his voice deep and rich. "That's why he can't rest."

Quistis found herself drawn into his voice. "When will he be able to?"

"When she's free of what's inside of her."


	7. I Am Not Alone

**Mythology**  
_Chapter Seven: I Am Not Alone_  
By PasifiKStaR 

**Author's Note**: I think I found the perfect theme music for this story - Hirahara Ayaka's "Jupiter". What an amazing voice!! I wish I could sing like that. But I can't sing for crap (Seriously, you think I'd LIE about my singing ability? No, I really do suck.) Anyway, if anyone has questions about the story, please email me! I'm more than happy to answer. ^_^ Congrats to my adopted lil bro Tai for his story on ff.net! 

*All Standard Disclaimers Apply: I do not own Final Fantasy.

* * *

"Let's go inside..." Squall whispered in her ear as he gently pushed her away. He swept her soaking bangs aside. "You'll get sick." 

Rinoa nodded numbly and allowed the taller brunette to put his arm around her shoulder and lead her back into the house. He closed the door behind them and ran up the stairs, leaving Rinoa standing with a distant look on her face in the foyer. Her entire body was numb. She could barely feel the cold, soaking clothes against her skin. 

Squall brought down some more towels from the linen closet and rushed down to her. Rinoa hadn't moved. He reached her and hesitantly reached for the sheets. She didn't flinch and he decided to go through with physically changing her. She didn't even move as he pulled the sheets off her frail body. 

Squall's head was turned away, not wanting to have to see more than he was allowed to. He didn't want to take advantage of her when she was like that. Rinoa slowly looked up at him as he wrapped her in a warm, thick terry cloth towel. Her hand slowly rose to hold it in place as he put another one over her shoulders to catch the water dripping from her thick hair. He stepped away from her reluctantly and bent down to gather the soaking sheets that had fallen around her body. 

"You...you haven't answered my question..." she breathed out in a nervous voice. Squall paused, his hand clutching part of the sheet. 

"What question?" he asked casually as he stood up and pulled the sheet up with him. His eyes were down cast. "I'm going to put this in the laundry room. Go to the den and I'll bring your clothes out-" 

"Will you answer my question?" she persisted quietly. Squall had turned around. He paused and slowly nodded his head. 

"I'll try..." Rinoa narrowed her eyes as he quickly walked down the hall and rounded the corner. He seemed to be trying to avoid her. 

* * *

"Maybe we should call them?" Zell asked as he sat across from Selphie and Irvine in the cafeteria. 

"I already tried to call Squall's house phone and it's disconnected," Irvine told him tiredly. "It seems that the phones are down." 

"Doesn't he have a cellular phone we can try to call?" Selphie asked. Irvine shook his head. 

"I called it, and then I heard ringing from Squall's tent," Irvine replied. Zell let out a groan and ran his hand down his face. "Relax, I'm sure they're all right. I've been to Squall's place and it's nice and sturdy." 

"I hope Rinoa's okay," Selphie said as lifted up a piece of French toast with her fork. "I bet she was mad that we ditched her." 

"Squall probably wasn't too happy either," Irvine agreed. "When he called he was kind of gruff." 

"Isn't he always like that?" Zell asked. 

"GruffER," Irvine corrected. Zell nodded, accepting the answer. "Don't worry, Selphie, I'm sure when they finally come back, she won't be mad." 

"And if she is?" Selphie asked curiously. 

"We'll run. Run really really fast." 

* * *

"What are you doing here?" Seifer looked up from where he was sitting in the research tent. The computer monitor in front of him showed the scanned words of the third tablet. Quistis was frowning as she put her umbrella down. 

"Good morning, princess," Seifer said with a pleased smile. "Did you have a good night's sleep?" 

"I was worried sick about Rinoa," Quistis snapped as she turned her back to him and removed the dark green rain slicker she had been wearing. She hung it up on the coat rack by the door and turned back around. She was wearing a buttoned up, long sleeve, white cotton work shirt. She wore faded blue jeans over black boots with wet sand and dirt encrusted on them. "Now you answer MY question." 

Seifer shrugged and stood up. "I woke up early and thought I'd come in and do a little reading," he answered casually. Quistis narrowed her deep blue eyes. Cautiously, she stepped around him. Seifer let out a chuckle. "What's the matter? I don't bite." 

"It's not your bite I'm worried about," Quistis murmured. "Get off my chair." 

"That's a very cold way to speak to your sponsor," Seifer reminded her coolly. He watched with interested green eyes as her pale hands turned into fists at her sides. *She's so fun to rile up.* 

"Mr. Almasy, PLEASE move so I can continue my work." she hissed out between gritted teeth. 

Seifer gracefully stood up and even pulled the chair out for her to sit in. She mumbled a reply of thanks as she sat down. She put her hand on the mouse when Seifer suddenly loomed behind her. His arms went around her slim shoulders as he bent down over her. Quistis' body stiffened. "Oh, don't let me bother you," Seifer told her, as if what he was doing was nothing. "Go ahead and continue with your work." 

"Just HOW am I supposed to do that with you hanging all over me!?" Quistis growled. Not only was he stopping her from doing his work, but the merely feeling of his body pressed against hers was sending chills up her spine. She could feel her entire body almost shaking. From what exactly, she wasn't sure. 

"You just looked cold," Seifer answered in a worried like voice. He pulled away a bit and put his hands on her upper arms. Slowly, his large palms ran up and down the length of her thin white cotton shirt. "I just wanted to warm you up a bit." 

*You infuriating man!* Quistis wanted to scream. Her entire body was frozen as she sat there. She felt the heat from Seifer's arms course through her entire body, making her feel hot and cold at the same time. "Please stop.." she whispered, her voice trembling slightly. 

*Nervous?* Seifer thought, amused. His caressing came to a slow stop at her shoulders. "Come on, Quisty," he said as he leaned forward and brushed her blond bangs aside to whisper into her now pink ears. "Do you hate me THAT much?" 

"Yes," she replied sternly. Her eyes narrowed as her hand clenched the material of her pants tightly. "You're distracting me." 

Seifer smiled from ear to ear. "So I am..." his warm breath brushed against her ear, making Quistis close her eyes. Her heart was racing faster the longer that Seifer was there. "I'm sorry." 

Surprisingly, Seifer backed away. Quistis suddenly felt a surge of disappointment rush through her body as Seifer stepped back. She turned her head around quickly and saw him heading towards the door. He was wearing a simple black knit sweater over dark, crisp new jeans and black boots. As he walked, she could almost see his muscles moving with each step and movement. 

*Oh, Hyne, Quistis! Get a hold of yourself! What are you doing? Are you checking SEIFER out? SEIFER!* her logical mind screamed. Yet deep down another voice was answering, *I'd sure like a piece of that.* 

"If you need me, I'll be in my tent." Seifer told her sweetly, almost as if inviting her to join him. 

His near mocking tone snapped Quistis out of her thoughts and she glared at his retreating figure. "I WON'T, nor will I EVER, need you!" she screamed. 

Seifer merely smiled as he stood at the door way. He opened it and stepped out on the first step, the rain not yet hitting him. He threw her a smirk over his shoulder before heading out towards the path. Quistis let out a frustrated growl and whirled back around to the computer. 

* * *

Steam lifted from the ceramic mug as Squall poured hot tea into it. He put the tea kettle down on a little stand before lifting up the mug to Rinoa. She sat on his couch, wearing her clothes. Her hair was damp around her head and around her shoulders was one blue towel. Rinoa looked at the white mug and shook her head. She lifted her hand to stop him from giving it to her. 

"It'll warm you up," he told her softly. Rinoa shook her head silently. Squall hesitantly put the mug back down on the coffee table before he sat next to her. Rinoa immediately moved further down the length of the couch. "Rinoa..." 

"Just answer my question," Rinoa whispered bitterly. Her eyes lifted and locked on to his blue-gray ones. "Who ARE you?" 

Squall sat there, a look of powerlessness on his face as his eyes squinted slightly. "I..." he began. *Hyne, what do I say!?* 

"You're not really a doctor are you?" she asked in a suspiciously voice. She clutched the towel around her tightly. 

Squall shook his head. His hair was still damp from the rain and he now wore a white shirt and some dark, comfortable cotton pants. "I really am doctor," Squall told her. "I graduated with specialization in internal medicine from the University of Esthar, Esthar City." 

"UEEC Medical School?" Rinoa asked with narrowed eyes. "That's the best medical school in Esthar." 

"I have the diplomas to prove it," Squall told her. "I can get one-" 

"Don't try to change the subject," Rinoa snapped, immediately shutting Squall up. "I'm serious. Who are you?" 

"You know who I am," Squall insisted. "My name is Squall Leonhart. I'm a field doctor-" 

"Excuse me for being so rude," Rinoa cut him off once more. "But I find it highly unlikely that that's ALL you are." 

Squall took a deep breath. "What do you want me to say?" he asked. He looked at Rinoa with confused eyes. "What do you want to know about me? You just can't ASK me who I am and expect me to know what you want to hear." 

"Fine," Rinoa hissed. "Then who is that woman in the paintings?" She studied Squall's face for any sign of recognition. The man kept a straight face. 

"Someone I once knew." Squall whispered in a low voice. 

His face looked away from hers and Rinoa studied him more. "What was she to you?" 

She watched as his hands tightened. His fingers dug into the cushion of the couch as he turned his head away from hers completely. His face was pale and taunt. Rinoa already knew who that woman was and he knew it. "I loved her..." his voice was low, almost as if in pain. 

Rinoa closed her eyes. *I thought so...* She leaned back against the couch, her hand covering her face as she struggled to hold back tears. *Stupid, naive me...of course there is no way that someone like you would be interested in ME. Not because my face looks like hers...* 

Squall looked back up at Rinoa as he heard her breathing pattern change into short gasps. His eyes softened as he unclenched his hands. "Rinoa..." 

"I'm sorry, but I'm not her," Rinoa said in a stern, but shaking voice. She stood up, not even bothering to look out Squall. "We just share the same face. Sorry." Her voice was cold and distant as she began to step away. 

"Rinoa, wait!" Squall shouted. He shot up off the couch and rushed after her. Rinoa was at the door way to the hall and stopped. Her head was downcast and her shoulders slumped forward. "Even if I told you everything...you wouldn't believe me anyway." 

"What makes you think that I wouldn't?" Rinoa asked softly. Squall was one step behind her, his arms at his sides. 

"Because I barely believe it myself..." he answered hesitantly. He watched as Rinoa's dark haired head lift slowly. "I wasn't using you last night...as a replacement for her. Believe that, at least." 

Rinoa closed her eyes, refusing to believe him. "When the storm is over...we'll return to the camp." Without another word, she left him alone. 

Squall felt a knife slice at his chest with her words. She quickly continued to walk away from him, leaving him standing in the den, staring at the spot where she had been standing. Squall closed his eyes and stumbled back against the wall. He ran his hand down his face. *What am I supposed to tell you?* he thought as he tilted his head back and stared at the ceiling. He heard her feet run across the wall upstairs. *That you're the woman I loved all those years ago...* 

Rinoa threw open her door and slammed it quickly behind her. She grabbed the towel around her neck and threw it on the ground. She leaned back against the door and slid down to the floor. She clutched her knees up to her chest and buried her face in them as hot tears slid down her face. 

Her fingers dug into her leg as she choked out sob after sob. What had she done? 

* * *

_ A warm hand caressed her hair and she smiled. Slowly, she opened her eyes and found two blue ones looking down at her. "Sleep well?" he whispered intently as his hand gently brushed her bangs out of her face. _

Rinoa nodded slowly. "What time is it?" 

"Sunset," Squall replied warmly. He turned to his right to look at the glowing ball of red and orange setting in the distant horizon. Rinoa blinked slightly and tilted her head up slightly to see. "You've been asleep for a few hours." 

"Mmm..." Rinoa smiled weakly and giggled softly. "Quistis is going to kill me...I should've been back earlier." 

"It's all right," Squall told her. Rinoa was slowly pushing herself off the picnic blanket that they had brought with them. Squall's arms wrapped around her and pulled her against him gently. She smiled and leaned her head back against his shoulder. "Quistis will be too busy complaining about Seifer. He said that he would go visit her today." 

"Oh, Hyne...he'll never give up, will he?" Rinoa asked as his arms rested around his waist. Her warm hands gently placed themselves over his. 

"He keeps insisting that she loves him and just won't admit it." Squall said, rolling his eyes. 

Rinoa let out a slight laugh. "Actually, I have to agree with him there," Rinoa admitted. "I think that Quistis does like him...even just a little." 

"Really? With those bruises she gave him last time, I was sure of the exact opposite." Squall chuckled. 

Rinoa let out a content sigh and closed her eyes as the last warmth from the sun set in the horizon. She felt so comfortable leaning against Squall. "I love you, Squall..." she whispered softly, almost unconsciously. 

Squall looked down at her and smiled as he kissed the top of her head. He wrapped his arms around her slim shoulders. "I love you, too, Rin..." 

"Forever?" she asked softly. 

"For eternity," he nodded. "We have eternity together." 

Rinoa giggled and nodded. Suddenly, she sat up straight. "Hey, that reminds me! Did you finish?" 

"Finish?" Squall asked, slightly confused as she pulled away from him. Rinoa nodded brightly and beamed a smile. 

"You were painting right before I went to sleep," she replied. His eyes went wide, as if just remembering. "Did you finish it?" 

"Uh..." She watched as Squall looked away sheepishly. His face tinted with a slight rosy color and she urged him further. 

"What did you end up painting?" she asked. She looked around their picnic blanket. On his right side, she found his brushes and paints wrapped in a tight brown canvas sack. The sack was resting on a sheet of canvas attached to a board. "Let me see!" 

"Wait!" Squall gasped. He reached out to try to stop her, but she evaded him and went around his back side instead. "It's not done!" 

"Oh, you're just being shy!" she laughed as she reached behind him and grabbed the edge of the canvas. "I bet it's great!" 

"Rinoa, no!" Squall gushed. Panic filled his face as Rinoa pulled the medium sized canvas against her body. She jumped up before Squall could stop her. "Rinoa!" 

She turned her back to him as she slipped away. Her bare feet touched the lush green grass as she stepped away from the blanket. Squall was reaching out towards her, trying to stop her from looking, but it was too late. Rinoa lifted the sheet that was protecting the canvas off of it. 

Squall watched as the white sheet fell to the ground by Rinoa's bare feet. His face flushed as he turned it away. His hands clutched the folds of his clothes as Rinoa let out a sharp gasp. "Squall..." 

He barely heard her soft whisper escape her pink lips. "I'm sorry," he whispered. "I should've asked for your permission before I-" 

"It's beautiful!" His head shot up just as Rinoa turned around. She hugged the canvas against her as she smiled brilliantly at Squall. Her soft brown eyes glowed with joy through the dark night. "May I have it?" 

Squall's eyes went wide and he struggled to keep his jaw from dropping. "Wh...what...?" 

"May I have it?" she asked again. She turned the canvas around and to reveal the sleeping image of her on the blanket. "Looks just like me, huh?" she giggled. 

"You're...you're not mad...?" Squall asked, confused. He felt his humiliation slip away from him as Rinoa shook her head. 

"Of course I'm not mad! Why would I be?" she asked with a laugh. She looked back at the canvas. "It's not an ugly picture," she mumbled. She looked back at him and smiled sweetly. "You're an excellent artist Squall..." 

He looked up at her, his face now feeling warm, but for a different reason. The cool night breeze swept through their hill side oasis, sweeping her silken locks of hair into the air. Her light blue toga billowed around her and she hugged the picture that he had put so much emotion into painting. 

He smiled slightly. He'd just been inspired yet again. 

* * *

Outside, the rain was still falling in a never ending cascade. Rinoa opened her eyes slowly and looked around the dark room. Everything seemed like a blur for a moment as her eyes adjusted. She blinked a few times before the dark figures became clear. She squinted. Someone was sitting by the bed. 

Bed? *I don't remember falling asleep on the bed...* Rinoa thought to herself. Slowly she moved and the figure by the bed turned to her. 

"You have to eat." The voice was Squall's. Rinoa closed her eyes and mentally swore. 

"Go away," she pleaded in an annoyed voice. "I don't want to deal with you right now." 

"You haven't eaten since last night, Rinoa," Squall's voice grew stern and he stood up. "I'm telling you to eat as a doctor. I've brought food for you on the dresser. I'll leave you to eat, but I'll be back in an hour and I expect the food to be gone." 

Rinoa stubbornly turned her head away and rolled over on her side, putting her back to him. Squall rolled his eyes. She heard him walk away and close the door behind him. *How long has he been here?* Rinoa turned once more and looked over her shoulder to make sure that Squall was gone. 

She quickly got up and headed towards the dresser. She had been starving that morning, but had refused to go downstairs and face him. *Lot of good that did...he owns the house. It's not like he can't come up stairs...* 

Rinoa reached the dresser and found a wooden tray. There was a plate with two slices of pepperoni pizza and a can of soda. *He probably ordered out...* she thought to herself. She picked up one slice and found it cold. *How long has he been waiting for me to wake up?* 

She felt a prang of guilt hit her and she paused just before she was about to take her first bite. She stared at the food. How long HAD he waited by her bed side? He must've been the one to carry her to her bed in the first place. She narrowed her eyes and viciously took a bite of the pizza. *It's only because I look that that woman...the woman in the paintings!* Rinoa swallowed the cardboard tasting food as searing tears fell down her cheeks. *And that's all I'll ever be to him...* 

* * *

The cold wind blew through the open doors. Squall stood in the middle of the room vacant of furniture. His hair flew around his face as he looked up at the pictures of a haunting memory. The images that once held so much warmth in their perpetually opened eyes were now cold and empty. 

They were nothing more than hollow shells of what they stood for and he knew it. He closed his eyes as he clenched his fists at his side. Why had he left the door to this room open? Why had he allowed Rinoa to find it in the first place? 

*Rinoa...* Squall's mind called out longingly. He had followed her that morning. The moment she closed the door, he opened his eyes and followed her just in case she got lost. He had seen her heading for this room, yet he did nothing to stop her. *Did I WANT her to see this...? No. Impossible! She'd never understand!* 

She was on the floor, a sea of bed sheets around her pure body. Her angelic face twisted with indescribable shock as she looked into her own face. Dozens of them, all lined the walls. Everywhere she looked, she would see herself. It would be enough to drive a person crazy. 

"I make you crazy now...?" a voice giggled behind him. 

His eyes shot open. "Wha..." Squall felt his heart skip a beat as his eyes widened. "Rinoa...?" 

He stared into a painting of the young woman dressed in a familiar light blue and white toga with gold slippered feet. Her clothes were being blown in the wind as the night sky fell behind her like a star lit curtain. Her familiar face turned to him and she smiled. "Do you miss me that much?" 

"Impossible..." Squall heard himself murmur. He raised his hands to his eyes and rubbed them vigorously before looking up again. His heart stopped in his chest as he felt his blood grown cold. The painting had it's star lit back drop, but it's main feature was gone. 

"Over here!" a teasing voice called him. Squall whirled around and turned towards the open doors leading outside. 

"Rinoa..." Squall whispered. He felt his body turning towards the fleeting figure that seemed to be walking on air. He stumbled forward, reaching for her as he struggled to keep his eyes on her. 

He could hear her echoing laugh in his ears as she stood outside, waiting for him. The rain was still pouring outside, but the drops seem to go through her as she beckoned him closer. "Come on, Squall!" she called intently. She was still smiling at him. "Let's go watch the stars. I know how much you love watching the stars!" 

"The stars..." he murmured. His tired lips hesitantly lifted into a smile as he stepped through the doors. He was reaching for her, but the figure merely took a step back, coaxing him to follow her. In the darkness, she seemed to give off a radiant glow, making her seem almost transparent before him. Her toga was the same was it was in the painting. Right down to the gold chord around her waist and arms. Her smile, with her closed eyes, was the same. Warm and inviting. 

Squall's bare feet fell into the rain puddles on the ground causing cold, mud soaked water to hit the bottom ends of his pant legs. Heavy drops of water fell against him, once again drenching his body and clothes. "Come on, Squall!" the image called like a siren. "Hurry!" 

"I'm coming..." he gasped out. His foot steps were uneven as he swayed in a dazed fashion in his back yard. "Please wait...Rinoa, wait for me..." 

"Squall! This way!" he heard her voice calling out. Squall's eyes squinted as rain started to get in them. His vision was starting to blur. 

"Rinoa!" he called out. "Rinoa, wait!" His foot steps quickened, but he was now walking on mud. He didn't feel the mixture of water and dirt against his feet or the cold of wind and rain against his skin. "Please!" 

Her face turned to him and his eyes went wide. She was smiling, but her eyes...her beautiful, deep brown eyes were now open...and vacant. He stopped in his tracks, his hands still reaching for her. She frowned slightly as her seemingly dry toga flew around her body with the wind. "Squall..." she called out. "Come with me...I don't want to be alone..." 

His breathing was shallow and uneven as he fell to his knees into a puddle of mud. He swallowed hard as he looked up at her. He shook his head. "You left ME behind," Squall said as her image slowly disappeared in the rain. "You left ME behind, Rinoa..." he whispered as he closed his eyes. He suddenly felt the cold flood his body. "I don't want to be alone, either..." 

* * *

"Ah! Irvy, there you are!" Irvine looked up from his cot on his tent. Seifer was sitting across from him showing him some paper work. Selphie held the flap of the tent open as she held her umbrella up. Her bright yellow rain pancho was slick with water. "Irvy, can you do me a favor?" 

"Anything, Selphie, you name it." he told her with a bright smile. Seifer rolled his eyes. 

"Some professional lawyer you are..." Seifer grumbled. Selphie ignored the blonde's comments. 

"Quistis fell asleep in the research tent," Selphie said. "I don't want to wake her, but do you think you can carry her back to her tent?" 

"Sure-" Irvine began, but Seifer was already standing up. He tossed the stack of papers on Irvine's lap and the cowboy looked up at him. "What-?" 

"I don't want you touching MY Quistis," Seifer snapped in a deep voice. "I'll bring her to her tent." 

"I'll help!" Selphie said. "Someone's got to open the tent for you." 

Seifer nodded and picked up the umbrella that was by the entrance of Irvine's tent. "Let's go!" he ordered in an authoritative voice. Selphie nodded and ran out ahead of him. Irvine smirked. 

"Old feelings die hard..." 

Seifer reached the tent and Selphie was standing at the door way. He walked up the steps and entered to find Quistis slumped over a table, a brush to clean off the dust off an old vase still clutched in her hand. Her hair fell over her face as her mouth opened partially to let out warm breaths. A soft smile touched his lips. She looked so harmless when she wasn't screaming at him. 

Selphie was getting Quistis' rain slicker off the rack as Seifer walked over to the sleeping professor. He put his hands on her shoulders and lifted her off the table and back against his shoulder. She let out a mumble as he put his arms underneath her back and knees. "Let me put her slicker on her." Selphie whispered. Seifer nodded and knelt down slightly so the shorter girl could put Quistis' slicker on. 

Once it was secured on, Selphie opened the door and held out an open umbrella. Seifer grabbed the handle with his hand and held it over Quistis' head as she rested against his arms. Carefully, he stepped out into the path way and headed up towards Quistis' tent. Selphie ran ahead of him to get her bed ready. 

As Quistis was being carried, she heard the rain fall around her. *Strange...I don't remember sitting like this...* she thought to herself. Slowly, she opened one of her eyes. She blinked and both blue orbs went wide behind her glasses as she looked up at the tall blonde. "Seifer...?" she rasped out in surprise. 

"Shh..." he told her softly. "Just go back to sleep," he said as he held her over the path way. "We're almost to your tent. You can change and go to bed." 

"What...what are you doing?" Quistis mumbled as she squinted. She could see the umbrella above her, barely covering Seifer's head, but shielding hers from the rain. 

"We didn't want to wake you," he told her. Quistis closed her eyes. She could feel his heart beating steadily next to her as his deep voice wrapped around her. "I'll have Selphie and that Nida person clean up the tent." 

Quistis nodded tiredly. Her eyes were growing heavy as they approached the tent in the distance. Selphie held the tent flap open for them as Seifer entered. He dropped the umbrella outside as Selphie removed Quistis' slicker off of her. Gingerly, Seifer placed Quistis on the cot. "I'll take care of her from here." Selphie said. 

"No, I'll do it," Seifer said. Selphie paused from where she was removing Quistis' boots. She turned to look at him with a suspicious frown. He narrowed his green eyes. "I'm not going to take advantage of her!" he growled. 

Quistis let out a tired moan and Selphie glared at Seifer. "Shh!" she said. "You'll wake her!" 

"Go get the research tent cleaned up," Seifer ordered. Selphie didn't move from her spot. She still looked suspicious of him. "That's an order from your SPONSOR." 

"Fine," Selphie whispered in a low voice. "But you better not do anything to her!" she added before she headed out. 

Seifer grumbled back a reply as he watched the flap close. He turned back to Quistis and let out a tired sigh as he walked over to her. "Quisty..." he said in a soft voice. "Quisty, you have to get-AH!" 

He ducked at Quistis raised her arm and nearly slapped him. He pulled back, his eyes wide. Some how, he felt that it was almost planned. Reluctantly, he approached her again and reached his arm out to nudge her. As if triggered by his mere presence, her arm shot up again and he grabbed it before it hit his face. "MM..." she mumbled. She tried to pull her arm back, but he held it, just incase she'd try to hit him again. 

"Quisty-" he began, but she cut him off. 

"Seifer..." her eyes blinked open and she frowned. "What...? Why are you holding my hand?" 

"Uh..." 

"Are you trying to take advantage of me while I'm SLEEPING!?" Quistis growled. She sat up, her blue eyes burning furiously. "HOW DARE YOU!?" 

"Quisty, wait!" Seifer pleaded as she reached under her pillow with her free and pulled out a whip. His eyes went wide and he immediately let go of her hand. "It's not what you think!" 

There was snap of a whip and Irvine winced as he and Selphie stood outside the tent. "See...Quistis can take care of herself." Selphie said with a smug smile. Seifer let out a howl of pain and Irvine winced once more. 

"For the first time, I feel bad for Seifer..." 

* * *

Rinoa walked down the stairs, holding the tray in her hands. She was trying to keep her shaking to a minimum as she rounded the corner and headed towards the kitchen. As she walked down the hallway, she silently prayed that she wouldn't run into Squall. She just wanted to avoid confrontation with him until they left, so she had decided to bring her things down herself. 

She entered the kitchen and placed the tray on the tile counter. She looked around the dimly lit room. From the looks of it, Squall was both a neat freak and a gourmet cook. She turned around and saw a frozen pizza box on the counter. She walked towards it and lifted the cover. All the slices, except for two, were intact. 

Guilt flooded her emotions as she slowly let the lid fall back on the box. Squall had brought the food straight to her and hadn't even helped himself. She closed her eyes and turned her head away from the table. She shook her head, once again telling herself that it was merely because she shared the face of someone he loved. 

Rinoa took a deep breath and headed for the hall way. She passed the window and something caught the corner of her eye. She stopped and turned around. She pushed some of the blinds and let out a gasp. "Squall!?" 

Just a few yards from the house, he laid in a puddle of mud. His arms laid limply at his sides as his head was turned away from her. His clothes were soaked with water and stained with mud. Rinoa looked up towards the sky. The rain had paused for a brief moment. She looked back at the man in the mud. 

*What happened to him?* Her hands tightened around the window frame. *No, Rinoa...don't go to him!* Her heart beat quickened as she felt it twist with pain. *No! Don't! If you go to him, you'll...* Rinoa pushed herself away from the window and turned towards the glass door at the far end of the kitchen. "It's too late anyway," she told herself as she reached up and pulled the latches that locked the door in it's place out. "I'm already in love with him." 

She pulled the heavy sliding door open and ran outside. She shivered as she ran through the mud path to the fallen man. Rinoa stopped a foot from his body and brought her hand to her chest. Her eyes squinted as she looked down at his mud streaked face. His lips parted slightly as a warm breath slipped out. "Rinoa..." 

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Her arms weren't as strong as his, but they pulled him up. His built body fell heavily against hers as she let out a muffled cry. She put her left arm underneath his right one as she put his arm around her neck. She bit her lower lip and began to drag him towards the house. 

*He really doesn't LOOK this heavy...* she thought to herself as she dragged him along the cement path to the sliding glass door. She gritted her teeth as she pulled him into the kitchen. Her free hand reached for a chair to put him in as they neared the table. 

Squall fell back against it and Rinoa quickly went to close the sliding door. "Rinoa..." his voice was weak and muffled, but Rinoa turned around. His head was down cast and his body limp against the chair. "I'm sorry..." 

"What were you doing out there?" Rinoa asked, trying to make her voice sound utterly pissed, but failed. Instead she sounded frustrated and worried. "Hyne, Squall..." 

He slowly lifted up his head, his hair encased with mud and his face lined with it. But his blue eyes shone through them like stars in the sky. His gaze swept over her face and Rinoa turned it away. "Rinoa..." 

"Stop it..." she murmured. Weakly, Rinoa pulled herself away. She turned her head to the kitchen. "Let's get you cleaned up..." she stammered. 

Squall reached for her hand as she turned and left, but just missed it. His hand fell to his lap as a pained face watched her move about in his kitchen. She found some paper towels and dampened them with water before coming back. Kneeling in front of him, she lifted the cold towel up to his face and started wiping the mud away. 

"Rinoa, I..." he began weakly. He closed his eyes. "I'm...tired..." 

"Let's get you washed up and then you can get some sleep," she told him. She frowned as she pulled the mud stained towel away. "And you haven't eaten yet either." 

"I don't need to eat..." he mumbled. "I'm just...tired..." 

She pulled herself away once more and nodded. "Here," she said as she tossed the paper towel into the trash can. She reached over and put her arm under his once more. "Let's get you up...can you make it up the stairs?" 

"Yeah..." he breathed out. He stood up, his legs still shaking slightly. He leaned against Rinoa, but not has heavily as when she was dragging him in. Slowly, they stumbled through the hall way. As they climbed up the stairs, Rinoa held on to the railing to keep them steady. 

Squall's bedroom door was pushed open and she lead him inside. "Do you want a bath? I'll get a bath ready. You're filthy." she blabbered. She helped him sit on the chair by his desk. She quickly wandered to the bathroom, her heart beating faster by the second. 

The last time she was in his bedroom they... *Hyne, Rinoa...just draw the man's bath and get the hell out of there!* her mind screamed. She shook her head and reached over across the massive marble tub. *Although, this is a cool tub...wow...I bet it's imported...* Her hands touched the knobs and turned them, making hot and cold water mix. She closed the drain and watched from her seat on the side. 

"Shower..." Squall's voice said. Rinoa whirled around and stood up quickly. 

"Squall, what are you doing!?" she gasped as she saw him leaning against the door way. "You can barely stand as it is-" 

"I'd rather take a shower-" 

"You can't take a shower! You'll fall and crack your head open!" she reasoned. Squall raised an eyebrow in question and her face suddenly felt warm. *Some how, that's not how I wanted it to sound...* 

"Then stay and make sure I don't." he answered. His voice was stronger, but still strained. Rinoa's eyes went wide and quickly narrowed. 

"If you're going to be like that then you can draw your own bath!" she shouted, flustered. She kept her wary brown eyes on him as she attempted to squeeze past his mud covered body. 

A warm hand softly placed itself on her shoulder as she passed. "I'm serious," he breathed out. His voice sounded more like a plea than a fact. "Stay with me." 

A wave of heat ran through Rinoa's body as his hand gently squeezed her shoulder. She closed her eyes and swallowed. Her heart was pounding in her chest. *I want to, Hyne, I REALLY want to...* "You don't need me." 

His hand slowly fell from her shoulder and she suddenly felt disappointed. Squall leaned heavily against the door frame. "I...I don't want..." his voice sounded hesitant. "I don't want to be...alone." 

"Squall," Rinoa said tiredly. "I can't replace the woman in the painting." she told him sternly. She had to keep insisting on that, for his sake and hers. 

Squall looked at her sadly. "Her name is Rinoa," Squall whispered. He watched as Rinoa's eyes went wide with surprise, but quickly turned into suspicion. "I'm not lying." 

"I find it hard to believe that not only do I share her face, but also her name-" 

"And her personality," Squall added. "The way she acts. The way she talks...the way she smiles when she's happy..." 

*I don't care!* Rinoa shook her head vigorously. "But I'm NOT her." 

"I'm not asking you to be..." Squall said tiredly. He turned to the bathroom and looked at the tub. "I have to turn off the water..." he mumbled. He straightened himself up and slowly headed towards the bath tub. 

Rinoa watched him pitifully try to get there. He looked so tired. She shook her head and went back into the bathroom and shut off the bath tub for him. Squall turned up to look at her. "I'll stay," she stated. "But don't get the wrong idea! I just want to make sure you don't drown yourself." 

A weak smile crossed his face and he nodded. He lifted his arms like a child and Rinoa rolled her eyes as she reached down and grabbed the edges of his white shirt. She pulled it up and watched as the heavy chain around his neck fell back against his perfectly sculpted chest. 

Squall reached behind his neck and fumbled with the clasp. "I'll clean this myself..." he told her as he lifted the chain and put it on the bathroom counter. Rinoa nodded numbly. She stood in front of him and wondered what to do with his pants. 

The mud stained clothes had to come off if he was going to bathe, yet she didn't exactly feel comfortable trying to peel them off THAT part of his body. She swallowed nervously. Squall was leaning against the counter and followed the look of intensity she was giving to his nether regions. 

*Okay, should I ask him or just expect him to do it himself? I should leave, shouldn't I?* Rinoa was mentally debating with herself and barely noticed Squall's hands traveling to the top of his pants and unbuttoning them. She didn't notice what he was doing until she saw the light blue boxers he was wearing underneath. 

"I can do this if you feel uncomfortable." he told her, trying to hide the amusement in his voice. 

Rinoa flushed and turned her head away. "Sorry!" she gasped. Squall let out a strained chuckle as she turned around faced the wall. His pants dropped at his ankles and he turned to the bath tub. 

Rinoa heard him slowly slipping into the water. "It's hot..." he mumbled. "Thanks..." 

Rinoa nodded. "Um...are you okay now? I'll wait outside?" she asked nervously. 

"You can sit here," he told her. "I might need help." 

Cautiously, she turned around. Squall was laying in the tub, leaning back against it as clear water rested just below his neck. Steam was coming up from the deep tub and she could make out his light blue boxers still on. His arms were rested on either side of the tub and he looked up at her, completely relaxed. 

Her eyes narrowed. *He's trying to seduce me, isn't he?* 

"Can you had me that wash cloth?" he asked, pointing to the rack behind her. She nodded and turned around. She quickly found it and walked over reluctantly. She tossed it to him and then stepped back quickly. 

"Do you have everything you need?" she asked weakly, her eyes still diverted. "So I can leave?" 

Squall dipped his head in the water and lifted it back up. He ran his hand down his face and turned to look at her. *She's really uncomfortable...* he thought to himself. "You can go ahead and wait outside..." 

Rinoa nodded thankfully and quickly whirled around. "Call me if you need a towel!" 

"Rinoa!" Squall called out suddenly. She stopped and poked her head back into the bathroom. Squall was sitting up, his head facing the water. He swallowed and took a deep breath. "I want to tell you." 

She tilted her head to the side. He'd gotten very serious suddenly. "Tell me what?" she asked. 

He turned his head to look at her and their eyes locked. "Everything." 


	8. Poisoned Water

**Mythology**  
_Chapter Eight: Poisoned Water_  
By PasifiKStaR 

**Author's Note**: We have some stuff in here for the Quifer/Seiftis fans. I'm not quite sure how to portray a Selvine...@.@ I'm trying to pick up the story a little here, so everything might move fast in this chapter. Please bare with me. 

*All Standard Disclaimers Apply: I do not own Final Fantasy.

* * *

"Everything?" she whispered. He made it sound as if there were an entire epic behind him. Something that was more than what she had originally thought. 

Squall's face was turned to her. "I just don't know how to explain it," he told her softly. Rinoa shifted from foot to foot at the doorway. She wondered if she should go back in or wait in the bedroom. Finally, she decided to go sit on a cushioned chair next to the massive tub. Squall looked at her. "I don't want you think that the only reason for everything is because you remind of someone else." 

"I just saw a room filled with pictures of a woman who looks like me," Rinoa said in a soft voice. "I can't help but be a little worried." 

"I used to paint her all the time," Squall admitted as he sat in the tub. "She'd never be able to sit still unless she was sleeping or working on something, so most of my paintings were of her sleeping..." 

"How did you meet her?" Rinoa asked. She glanced down at Squall. He was staring at the wash cloth in his hands. 

A nostalgic smile caressed his lips as he played with the piece of cloth. "She was wandering in a garden..." Squall whispered. Rinoa's eyes slowly squinted as she studied him. "I saw her sit on a bench and look at this statue..." Her heart was beating quicker now. "When I spoke to her she said that-" 

"She was looking for her friends," Rinoa mumbled. Squall's head slowly lifted and turned to her curiously. Rinoa's brown eyes locked with his. "Right...?" 

*You remember...* he thought to himself. He nodded slightly. "How did you know?" he asked, trying to coax the answer out of her. 

Rinoa's eyes filled with confusion as she turned her head away and concentrated on a spot on the tiled floor. "I...I don't know..." she stammered. "A guess..." *And I bet she was wearing a toga, wasn't she? And sandals...* 

"I see..." Squall mumbled. He lifted up the wash cloth and began to was his back. 

Unconsciously, Rinoa reached out. "I'll do it," *I'll do WHAT!?* her mind screamed. She shook her head as her slender fingers wrapped around the dark colored piece of cloth and began to was Squall's back. Her hand was placed on his shoulder to keep herself steady as he leaned forward. 

"Thanks..." Squall mumbled slightly. He felt his face grow warmer as she leaned closer to try and get the water over his neck. 

"You're missing a...um...spot..." she explained as she questioned her own actions. "So...um...how did you meet Seifer?" 

"Oh Hyne..." Squall breathed out tiredly. He tilted his head back. "That was so long ago, I can't even remember. But he's still the same cocky bastard he was as a child." 

Rinoa giggled and began to move the wash cloth over his neck. "What about the others?" 

"Irvine and Zell worked under Seifer's parents," Squall replied. "All four of us were always together." 

"Where they always like that?" Rinoa asked. 

"No," Squall said. "Zell only discovered hot dogs recently," Rinoa laughed a little bit and shook her head. Her hand with the wash cloth moved over Squall's chest without noticing it. She was just randomly making little circles over his clavicles. "Rinoa..." Squall mumbled. *Shut up! What are you doing!? If the woman wants to wash you, let her wash you!* his mind screamed. 

"Hmm? Oh!" Her hand froze and immediately dropped the cloth as she pulled her arm back quickly. "I'm sorry, I wasn't paying attention. I was just picturing Zell the other night when he was eating hotdogs..." 

"It's all right," Squall told her with a slight chuckle. "Thanks for um...washing my back..." he told her sheepishly. Rinoa blushed and nodded shyly. 

"Yeah..." Silence floated over the two as they sat there. Squall cleaned off his arms, unsure of what to say next. Rinoa sat next to the large tub, sneaking glances as Squall's shiny back. With each movement, she would watch his lean muscles move against his back. *I bet that tub is big enough for two...* Immediately realizing what she had just thought, she shook her head and stood up. "I'm going to head outside!" she piped nervously. 

Squall looked up at her. "Could you leave some towels on the chair?" he asked. Flustered, the young woman nodded and robotically moved to the towel rack. She put two towels on the chair she had been sitting on before scrambling outside. 

Once in his room, she fell back on his bed, her face feeling flushed. Rinoa took a deep breath and closed her eyes. *Hyne, he's just too perfect isn't he?* From the bathroom, she heard splashing. Squall must've gotten up. She stood up and looked around, wondering if she would like him to leave so he could change. "I'll wait outside!" she shouted. 

"All right." Squall replied. Rinoa quickly exited his room and leaned against the door after she closed it. She let out a relieved breath. 

Squall walked out of the bathroom, a towel around his waist. He looked around the room and headed for his dresser. Grabbing another set of boxers, pants, and shirt, he dropped his towel and proceeded to change. He bent down and picked up the towel and paused. He didn't hear the rain any more. 

Frowning, he headed towards the window and pulled the curtains aside. As he expected, it was still slightly cloudy, but the rain had stopped. Squall let out a heavy sigh. It meant that they would have to return soon. Part of him wanted to stay with Rinoa. Perhaps have enough time to be able to tell her his story. Instead, he tossed his towels into the laundry hamper and headed for the door. 

He put his hand on the knob and pulled. "Ah!" Rinoa let out a yelp as she fell back. Squall's eyes went wide as she fell into his arms. Rinoa had been leaning against the door when he opened it. "You scared me!" she gasped as she looked up at him. 

"You were leaning against the door," he said. He let out a sigh as he helped her back on her feet. "The rain stopped. We can probably go back tomorrow." 

"Great!" Rinoa said in a cheerful voice. *So why do I feel sad...?* She smiled weakly. "Um... so you're okay now?" 

He nodded. "Yes...thank you..." 

"Um..." Rinoa looked down at the ground as she turned to face him. "What were you doing outside?" She hadn't had a chance to ask him yet. 

Squall's eyes narrowed slightly. Rinoa's head was downcast as she put her arms behind her back. She stood in front of him, in the middle of the door way. "I saw something and I guess I was just tired..." he said, trailing off. He didn't want to tell her that he saw an image of her floating in the rain. 

Rinoa nodded slightly. "Okay...well...I'm going to get some sleep then," she said weakly. She smiled slightly and turned around. She took one step, and then turned to face him once more. "Umm... when you want to tell me everything..." she said nervously. "I'll listen." 

Squall watched as she quickly turned back around and ran down the hall to her room. The door closed behind her and his hand clutched the door knob tightly. He let out a deep breath and turned his head away. "But will you believe me...?" 

* * *

Quistis threw aside the flap to her tent as she stepped outside. She took a deep breath of the crisp, fresh after the rain air. The sun was shining and peeking through the few clouds left from the storm. The ground was still moist, but drying quickly in the desert sun. All around her, the volunteers were just starting to wake up and were getting ready to leave for the ruins and catch upon work. 

She waved to a few as she headed towards the communal bathroom to take her morning shower. As she passed Selphie's tent, she could hear the girl fumbling around inside. From Irvine's tent, she could hear snoring. Just as she passed Zell's he ran out, almost knocking her over. 

"Sorry, Quistis!" Zell said as he ran up the hill while still putting on his vest. "The kitchen just opened and I want to get to the left over hot dogs!" 

Quistis let out a heavy sigh and shook her head. "Good morning to you, too, Zell..." she sighed as she returned to her course. 

The communal bathroom was large and co-ed. She walked in and heard one of the showers already on, meaning someone else was there. Usually, she would be the first at this time in the morning. The sun had barely risen after all. She held her dusty rose towel over one arm and a little plastic basket with her bathing products. She had another little plastic bag with her clothes after she took a shower. She was wearing some shorts and a tank top from the night before along with some slippers. 

As she turned into the area with the showers, she frowned. Her favorite shower, the one all the way to the end, was the one that was taken up. She narrowed her eyes. It was her favorite one because she couldn't be between two people showering at once and was in the far corner. 

She put her things on the counters in front of the showers and began to go through the products in her basket. Perhaps if she waited long enough, the shower would be free. There was another plastic shower tote to one corner and she assumed it belonged to whoever was in the shower. 

Suddenly, she heard someone swear behind her. "Aw, shit..." a gruff male voice grumbled. The squeaking of the faucets was heard as shifting was going on the lime green stall. Quistis kept her back to the shower as she ran a brush through her hair. 

A second later, the door to the shower stall opened and Quistis nearly dropped her brush as she saw the person who was taking a shower in the mirror. She whirled around. "Seifer?" she gasped. 

"Hm?" The blond had a white towel wrapped around his waist as water dripped down his body along the contours of his obviously well defined features. Quistis couldn't help but let her eyes graze over him. "Good morning, Quisty," his pleased voice said as he approached her. "Come to take your morning shower?" 

She glared at him as she whirled around and started brushing her hair again. He chuckled as he walked over to the other tote and picked out his shampoo. "Can you hurry up?" she snapped. "I want to use that stall." 

"Sorry," Seifer shrugged. "It might take a while, princess. I have to wash my hair." 

Quistis fumed. Seifer had his hair slicked back with water as he smirked and sauntered back into the stall. She heard it click and then watched as his towel was thrown over the top of the door. The faucets creaked and the shower started up again. To add insult to injury, Seifer started singing in the shower. 

"Oh Hyne..." she frowned in disgust. "At least shut up! You can't sing!" 

"What? Louder!?" Seifer taunted. Quistis winced as he took it up a notch. She began to grind her teeth together. She looked over at the other five stall and put her brush on the table. She reached into each one and turned on the hot water. "What the...?" 

Quistis struggled to keep her smirking down as she turned all five showers on with just hot water. Suddenly, Seifer out a shriek. Quistis ran over and grabbed the towel from his door. "Aww...what's the matter? Is the little prince COLD?" Quistis smirked as she tossed his towel on to the counter and removed her glasses. She wiped her eyes as tears of laughter rimmed her lashes. 

"You little...!" Seifer took a deep breath as icy water shot out at him. He shivered in the cold and blindly searched for his towel. His hair was still filled with shampoo. "Quistis! Turn the water off NOW!" he growled. 

"What? I can't HEAR you!" Quistis laughed as she stood outside his stall in her tank top and shorts, just so he could hear her taunt him. It felt so good to get back at him. Almost euphoric. 

"TURN THE WATER OFF!!!" he shouted. 

"What? I think I hear someone calling my name!" Quistis laughed some more. She tilted her head back and laughed arrogantly. She didn't hear the stall door unlocking. She didn't even see his hand fly out and grab her upper arm. She froze and let out a gasp as she was suddenly pulled into the stall. Her blue eyes went wide as she stumbled into the freezing shower cell. "What the hell are you doing!?" 

"Getting even!" Seifer said. He put her in front of him as she let out shrieks. 

"It's COLD!" she yelled as she turned her head from side to side. 

"Well, that was your plan, wasn't it, princess?" Seifer snapped, as his fury subsided. He smiled as he watched her raise her hands to try and shield the water from hitting her soaking body. "Not as fun as you had hoped?" 

"You JERK!" she yelled. Seifer let out a haughty laugh as he put his hands on her shoulders and turned her around. She raised her eyes and tried to get the water out of her face. She blinked rapidly and turned to glare at him. "Let me go!" 

"No, I like you where you are." Seifer smirked. Her eyes went wide as Seifer's eyes locked with hers. Her entire body froze as he pressed his against hers. Her heart was racing against her chest, all to aware that the only thing that seperated her and Seifer was her flimsy sleeping clothes...which were soaked with cold water. She shiverd and Seifer lifted his hand. He gently lifted her chin higher and smiled. 

"Don't...you...dare..." she hissed with narrowed eyes. 

He let out a chuckle and lowered his head. "What the heck is with all the steam!?" a voice shouted. 

Seifer stopped what he was doing and Quistis' eyes filled with panic. She recognized the voice immediately. "Selphie!" she mouthed. Seifer held his finger up to her lips to silence her as he pulled her closer. *She can't find me like this! Oh, Hyne, it won't END if she does!* 

"Man, Quistis is going to be pissed if she finds out someone is wasting water!" Selphie piped. They heard her go to each stall and turn off the faucets. "Is anyone else here!?" 

"Hey, do you mind!?" Seifer growled loudly as he held Quistis against him. "I'm trying to shower here!" 

"Opps! Sorry!" Selphie turned off the last of the showers. They heard her quickly running out of the area and let out a heavy breath of relief. The water returned to it's normal temperature. 

"Seifer..." Quistis gasped as she still found herself crushed against him. "Can you let me go...?" she asked nervously. Her heart was still beating quickly as her face was tinted in pink. 

Seifer turned to her and raised an eyebrow. "Why?" 

She let out a low growl and Seifer pulled away from her, a pleased smile still on his face the entire time. She shoved him back against the cold shower tile to avoid even glancing at him and quickly slipped out of the stall. Her entire body flushed beneath wet clothes, she rushed to the shower stall at the other end of the room. 

*The nerve of that man!* she said as she turned on the shower on. She headed to the counter and grabbed her own towel and tote. She put her tote into the shower with her and put her towel over the stall door. *That evil, disgusting, perverted, incredibably sexy man with broad shoulders and...oh, EWW!!* Quistis gagged. *What am I ON?* 

Across the room, Seifer shot out of his shower and grabbed his towel. He quickly dried himself and returned to the stall to put his clothes on before coming back out. He could see steam coming out of the other shower stall and grinned. He casually walked over and grabbed her towel. Quistis didn't seem to notice since no protests were sounded. *Hmm...well, there's still time!* 

Seifer frowned. He had hoped to get at least a curse out of her. He decided to wait there until she discovered that her towel was missing. He remained as quiet as possible, hoping that Quistis wouldn't suspect him. After a few minutes, the shower stopped. He smiled from ear to ear as he waited for her to let out a yell as she realized her towel was gone. 

More minutes passed and she didn't come out or even utter a word. Seifer was growing impatient. He opened his mouth to say something when he heard the door unlocking. Quistis opened the door, dressed and ready go to. She smirked. "I thought you'd pull something, smart ass," Quistis smirked as she lifted up another towel. "I always bring TWO." She stuck her tongue at him and laughed. 

Seifer took a step forward threateningly. "Hey!" a voice piped. The two blondes stopped in their tracks. They turned to the corner and saw Selphie standing there wearing her yellow sun flower robe and holding a tote. "Quistis, when did you get in here?" 

"Uh...um..." Quistis stammered. "A few minutes ago." she stated proudly. Selphie narrowed her eyes. 

"Strange..." she mumbled with suspicion. "I was waiting at the entrance and didn't see you enter..." Quistis blushed furiously. 

"I was...over by the front in one of the toilet stalls!" she stammered. *Yes! Good save!* 

Selphie raised an eyebrow and looked from the flustered looking Quistis to the slightly amused Seifer. Slowly, her mind made the connection and she turned green. "Eww..." 

"No, it's not like that!" Quistis yelled, knowing what Selphie was thinking. 

Seifer let out a laugh and gently patted Quistis on the back as he passed. "At any rate," he said with a smug grin. "You were GREAT, baby. Tomorrow - same stall?" 

Quistis' eyes went wide with horror as Selphie looked like she was going to throw up at any moment. Seifer laughed and quickly exited before Quistis could reply. "I..." Quistis gasped. "I'm going... to KILL him..." 

Grasping her tote and bag with towels and wet clothes tightly, she marched out after Seifer. Just as she stepped out of the bathroom, she saw Zone and Watts rushing towards a familiar young woman. Seifer momentarily forgotten, Quistis took off towards where they were running. 

Rinoa was wearing her clothes from a few days ago and looked tired as she yawned. Behind her, Squall was walking up the path wearing dark pants and his leather jacket. "Are you okay?" Watts as asking her. "We were worried!" 

"I'm fine," Rinoa assured them. "Nice and safe. Don't worry." 

"Rinoa!" Quistis shouted. She lifted her head and smiled brightly as she saw Quistis running towards her. "Are you okay!? Did he DO anything to you!?" 

Rinoa felt her face burn with a blush as Quistis finally reached her. She gave Rinoa a tight hug and then gently pushed her away and studied her to make sure that not a single hair was out of place. "I'm fine, Quisty," Rinoa said. "Just tired..." 

"Squall!" a male voice said. Quistis scowled as she heard Seifer's voice. "Made it back alive, huh?" 

"Had to use the Escalade," Squall shrugged as he greeted Seifer with a nod of his head. "I was afraid the Jag would get swept away." 

"Hey, Squall!" another male voice sounded as if they were laughing. Irvine came down and grinned as he saw the two people. 

"You..." Squall said, his eyes narrowed. Irvine stopped a few feet from Squall and smiled weakly. 

"Hehehe...uh...have a good few days?" 

"You're going to die, Kinneas." Squall hissed. Irvine shrugged. 

"I've heard THAT before..." he laughed. 

"Irvine, where's Selphie?" Rinoa said as she approached him. Irvine shrugged once more. 

"Haven't see her all morning." the cowboy replied. 

"She's going to take a shower," Quistis replied. "You can talk to her later. Did you eat yet?" 

Rinoa nodded. "Squall cooked breakfast." 

"You cooked breakfast, huh...?" Irvine smirked. He crossed his arm and gave a nod of approval. "Nice..." 

Squall was about to lunge forward and punch Irvine in the stomach, when a squeal was heard. "RINOA!!" 

Rinoa's eyes perked up and a sly smile graced her lips. "You're not going to forgive her so easily, are you?" Quistis asked. Rinoa snickered and shook her head. 

"No...but I'm going to make her think I am," Rinoa said as she turned around and waved at Selphie. "And when she least suspects it...BAM!" Selphie rammed into Rinoa and began to apologize profusely. 

Rinoa merely smiled and petted her friend's head. Quistis shook her head and started to have flash backs when Selphie had insisted on playing _Ninja Turtles_ and stepped on Rinoa's crayon box and broken a good portion of the 120 colors, including the 'retired' colors that Rinoa had not wanted to use. Rinoa retaliated by beheading _Michelangelo_ and displaying his head on a chopstick. Selphie had nightmares for a week. 

*She is one vicious little girl...* 

* * *

"So..." Selphie said as she and Quistis sat in Rinoa's tent that night. "What happened?" 

"The road was flooded and part of it washed away," Rinoa began as she braided her hair into pig tails before bed. "And this car was turned over, so we couldn't get back-" 

"Not THAT!" Selphie grumbled. "What happened at Squall's house!?" 

Rinoa paused what she was doing as Quistis shook her head. "What do you mean what happened? We waited there until the rain stopped." 

"Ugh! You know what I mean!" Selphie piped childishly. She sat at the foot of Rinoa's bed with her legs crossed beneath her. "What are the goods? Did he try anything?" 

"Well..." Rinoa blushed and finished tying a rubber band around the end of her braid. She smiled shyly. "He did make heat up food for me." 

Selphie's face fell and Quistis chuckled. "Let me put it out there in the open," Quistis said. "Did Squall kiss you?" 

Rinoa felt her face grow warmer and her body stiffened. Selphie studied her reaction and grinned from ear to ear. "I knew it!" Selphie said. "What else!?" 

*He ...oh wow...* Rinoa flushed more and shook her head. She refuse to indulge Selphie in the details. Instead, she looked up at Quistis. "What about you? Have fun with Seifer?" 

Selphie nearly fell of Rinoa's cot and Rinoa turned her head. Quistis shrugged. "Nothing happened. He's the same arrogant bastard that was here when you ran off with Squall." 

"I did not run off with Squall," Rinoa said, rolling her eyes. "So I take it from your tone, he hit on you again." 

"They were in the shower together!" Selphie shouted suddenly. Quistis' face turned red as Rinoa's eyes went wide. 

"No way!" 

"Yes way!" Selphie said. "This morning, I went in there, right...and I heard some guy yelling. So I left. Anyway, I just waited at the entrance and then a few minutes later I went it and there were TWO people, Quistis and Seifer, but at the time there was only ONE shower being used. ONE." 

"Quisty..." Rinoa mumbled as she turned to her friend. Quistis' face was bright red as she shook it from side to side. 

"It's not LIKE that!" Quistis shrieked. 

"Quistis! Rin! Selphie!" a voice shouted from outside. The trio turned their heads to the door as Rinoa scrambled out of her seat, cross legged next to Selphie, on the cot. 

"Yeah?" Rinoa said as she unzipped the flap of her tent. Nida was out of breath and looking at her with a worried expression. 

"It's Watts!" Nida gasped out. "He's not doing so good!" 

* * *

Rinoa burst into the tent and Squall looked up from where he was sitting next to the bed ridden man. "What's going on!?" she gasped as she rushed over. "Watts? Zone! What's going on?" she asked worriedly as she turned over to the other man. 

"I don't know," Zone said as he stood next to them. "All of a sudden, he just started sweating and his breathing got bad...then he began to convulse. So we called Dr. Leonhart." 

"Squall, what's wrong with him!?" Rinoa pleaded. She grabbed on to Squall's shoulder and forced him to look at her. 

Squall looked up at her and shook his head. "I...I don't know..." he said. 

"What do you MEAN you don't KNOW!?" Rinoa growled. "You're a DOCTOR!" 

"Rinoa, calm down," Squall said as he stood up, pulling the stethoscope off of his ears. "I think he might have drunk or ate something. It looks like a viral induced sickness that weakened his immune system." 

"MEANING?" Rinoa gasped. 

"Meaning that his immune system was weak and with the recent rain, just a few drops on him could've trigged advanced forms of pneumonia or something." Squall stated. Rinoa's eyes widened with panic. 

"I've sent for an ambulance," Seifer said as he entered the room. "I ordered Zell and Irvine to get rid of all the food and check the water supply." 

"What'll we do for food in the mean time?" Quistis asked as she arrived with Selphie. 

"A new batch will arrive tomorrow along with new equipment for the kitchen." Seifer stated. 

"Dr. Leonhart!" another voice shouted outside. Squall looked up as Xu entered the tent. "Someone else just collapsed!" 

"Shit..." Squall mumbled. He looked at the others before reaching into his bag. He pulled out a small pill box. "Give this to him. Does anyone have any bottled water?" 

"I have a some in my tent," Seifer said. "How many to do you need?" 

"Get some extra," Squall said as he rushed off the tent. "Give Watts some water. And don't drink any of the non bottled water!" 

He slipped out of the room and Rinoa rushed to her friend's side. "Watts? Watts, it's me..." 

"Rin..." he gasped out tiredly. 

"Right..." Rinoa said. "Here, eat this..." 

Quistis looked over at Selphie. "Let's go help Seifer hand out water," Quistis said. Selphie nodded and shot out the tent. Quistis looked over at Rinoa. "Rinoa, watch him." 

Rinoa nodded sadly, tears rimming her eyes. Watts and Zone were good friends of hers. Almost as good as Quistis and Selphie. She sniffled as Zone forced Watts' mouth opened and she slipped the pill into his mouth. Selphie returned with some bottled water and quickly uncapped it. 

Outside, Quistis was carrying armfuls of water and handing one out to everyone. Seifer was running past her, holding a case. "Where did you get all the water, anyway?" Quistis said as she reached over and took some more from the case he was holding. 

"I don't drink water that isn't bottled." Seifer replied coolly. 

Quistis rolled her eyes, but was silently thankful for Seifer's picky tastes. "Dr. Leonhart!" a voice shouted from across the camp. "There are two more!!" 

"Hyne," Quistis gasped as she looked around. People were starting to run around the camp. It was about nine thirty at night and Quistis suddenly felt a sinking feeling in her stomach as she handed out the last of the bottled water in her hand. "What's going on...?" 

* * *

"What's the count?" Quistis asked as she stood in the research tent with the others. Rinoa was sitting on a chair next to Selphie, who was looking through her notes. Irvine and Seifer stood to one side of the tent. Zell was with a team that was checking their water supply. 

Squall was still outside, running around trying to help the people who were sick. Selphie shook her head as she put her note book down. "Twenty volunteers are for sure sick. All five kitchen staff workers also are out of service. Two other researchers were sick, and eleven people left with them to take care of them." 

Quistis closed her eyes and let out a quiet swear. Rinoa bit her lower lip. They had a team of fifty researchers, themselves included. The kitchen staff was half of the service workers. "This can't be happening..." Quistis whispered. 

"That's thirty three of fifty research volunteers out..." Rinoa mumbled. 

"Make that thirty nine from your team," Squall said. The group looked towards the door as Squall stepped inside. There were slight bags under his eyes. He hadn't slept all night and had been running around most of it. "And two members of the service workers also left," He looked over at Seifer. "I think we should close down for a while." 

"WHAT!?" Selphie, Rinoa, and Quistis all gasped as they turned to him. 

Panic filled Quistis' eyes. "No! We can't!" 

"We can get new volunteers!" Rinoa reasoned nervously. "We can't close down!" 

Seifer shook his head. "Until we find out what's going on, I don't want anyone else sick," Seifer stated. "I'm going to excuse the rest of the team." 

"But all the work-" Quistis began, Seifer held his hand up. 

"The ruins aren't going anywhere," he snapped. "With this many people out, nothing will get done anyway." 

Quistis narrowed her eyes. "Fine, but if I have to have my food shipped over from town every day, I am NOT leaving!" 

"Same goes for us!" Selphie piped as Rinoa nodded beside her. 

Irvine looked at Seifer questioningly, wondering what the man would do. Seifer took a deep breath. "Even if I ban you, you three will still sneak in." 

"Damn straight." Selphie nodded. 

"We can just work on the stuff we already have in here!" Rinoa said. "Like the tablets and stuff! We're not done with them yet!" she pleaded. 

Seifer stood at the door way. He glanced over at Quistis, who had a look of desperation on her face. He found his head nodding slowly. "Kinneas, check the documents and make sure everything else is in order. I'm going to excuse everyone from the camp until further notice." 

Rinoa let out her breath as she closed her eyes. Quistis let out a sigh of relief. Squall looked at all the girls. "Make sure all the water you drink now is bottled. We'll have all our food brought from town as well." 

"I'll make the arrangements." Quistis said as she walked past him to the phone. 

"Irvy, are you going to be staying, too?" Selphie piped questioningly. Irvine smiled and nodded. 

"Like I'd leave you pretty ladies alone for a second..." Irvine said with a wink. 

Rinoa chewed on her bottom lip. She wanted to ask Squall, but at the same time didn't want to. Reluctantly, she lifted her eyes to meet his. He seemed to read her mind as he nodded. "As long as there are people in the camp, I have to stay." 

"Well, that makes five of us!" Selphie said cheerfully. "It'll be just like a small camping trip!" 

"What's the five of you?" a voice said at the door way. Zell came in, holding a folder under his arm. 

Before Selphie could answer, Irvine turned to Zell. "Did they find out?" he asked. Zell nodded and handed Irvine the folder. 

"Bacteria from the hill side seeped into the water source," Zell said as Irvine flipped through the folder. "It's contaminated now and we can't drink it." 

Irvine nodded in understanding as he handed the folder to Squall. The brunette opened it up and looked through it. His eyes narrowed. "It's like a plague..." he mumbled. 

"So, what's the five of you?" Zell asked as he looked at Selphie and the others. 

"Seifer is sending everyone home, but he said we can stay as long as we don't drink the water any more," Selphie said brightly. "Irvine and Squall are staying, too." 

"Can I stay?" Zell said eagerly. "I'm not sick! I can still help." 

"We can use all the help we can get." Quistis said as she held the phone by her ear. She was waiting to speak to a restaurant owner in town. 

"Cool!" Zell smiled. 

"All right! We have six!" Selphie smiled. 

"At least we'll have some help," Rinoa said. "But Zell, we don't want to force you to stay." 

"Don't worry," Zell assured her. "I want to stay." 

"All right," Seifer said as he entered the tent. He saw Zell standing there. "What did they find out?" 

"Read for yourself," Squall said as he handed Seifer the brown folder. The blond opened it and read through it quickly. "The water's contaminated." 

Seifer let out a quiet swear and nodded. "Great...just great..." 

"Six of us will be staying," Selphie told him. "Me, Rin, Quisty, Irvy, Squall, and Zell." 

"I'm staying, too." Seifer stated. 

Quistis nearly dropped the phone. "WHAT FOR?" she growled. 

"It's MY property," Seifer snapped. "I'm going to stay." 

She grumbled as she turned her back to the group and mumbled into the phone. "Then it's settled," Rinoa said. "Seifer, you're going to have to help." 

"I would if Professor over there would let me." Seifer snorted. Quistis flicked him off and Irvine and Zell snickered. Seifer shot them a dangerous glare. 

"I'm going to make sure everyone clears out and get the rest of the sick into the ambulances." Squall said as he headed out the door. 

"We'll help." Zell said. Rinoa, Selphie, and Irvine followed him, leaving Seifer with Quistis. 

"Thank you..." she said. She hung up the phone and leaned against the table. Her back was towards Seifer. Her head hung low and Seifer narrowed his eyes. 

"Quisty?" he asked quietly. 

Her eyes were closed as she removed her glasses and put them on the counter. Seifer saw her shoulders heave slightly and frowned. He put his hand on her shoulder and she quickly pulled away from him. "Leave me alone, Seifer. Please." she stated. 

There was no challenge in her voice. Just a simple request to be left alone. He put his hands on her shoulders and whirled her around. His heart clenched in his chest as he saw soft droplets rimming her soft blue eyes. "Hyne..." He held her at arms length as she began to cry. 

"Everything is going down hill!" she stammered as she covered her face with her hand. "All this work is going down the drain! Why is this happening!?" she sobbed quietly. 

Seifer wrapped his arms around her and pulled her against him. Quistis didn't have the will to pull away from him or to struggle against his embrace. She allowed herself to be held in his arms and hear his heart beat against her ear. She felt him gently stroke her head as he kissed the top of it. 

"It's all right..." he told her softly. "This is only temporary, Quistis..." he assured her. His voice was soft and almost intent. There wasn't any hint of his usual arrogance. "The people will get better and they'll come back...don't worry..." 

"We've worked so hard on this..." Quistis blabbered against his chest. Her pale fingers clutched the shirt he was wearing unconsciously. "I don't want it to loose all of it..." 

Seifer frowned and squeezed her tighter. He pulled one arm back and put a crocked finger under her chin. He lifted her face to meet his. "You're not going to loose anything." he replied. Deep emerald eyes penetrated Quistis' sapphire blue ones right before they closed. Surprisingly, it was Seifer who felt Quistis' lips brush his gently. 

As Seifer pulled her tighter against him, Quistis' arms snaked around his neck. Seifer's kisses grew more intense and a light whimper escaped Quistis' lips. At that moment, Rinoa stepped back into the research tent and quickly stepped back out. *Whoa... Selphie was right...* 

She quickly walked away from the tent. "Rinoa," a voice called out. She looked up and saw Squall approaching her. "You haven't gotten any sleep, have you?" 

"I had a quick nap-" she began, but Squall shook his head. 

"Go to bed," he told her. "You're still under a lot of stress and-" 

"What about you?" she gasped out. "You've been up all night AND running around!" 

"It's my job-" Squall began, but Rinoa shook her head. 

"Well, everyone is leaving now, so you should get some rest, too." she insisted. Squall sighed and shook his head slightly. 

"I'll get some rest after everyone is gone and taken care of," Squall continued. Rinoa frowned, but relented, knowing his was right. "Now you should go to your tent and get some rest as well." 

"But-" 

He shook his head. "You need some rest. I'll be fine." 

"You look worse than me right now!" she gasped. She narrowed her eyes and stomped her foot on the ground. "Dammit, Squall! For once just think of yourself and not of others!" 

"People NEED my help right now." Squall snapped, growing annoyed with Rinoa's stubborn behavior. 

Rinoa narrowed her eyes and walked past him. "How can you take care of others if you get sick, too?" She stomped past him, not heading towards her tent. Squall ran his hand down his face. 

Rinoa went up to meet Selphie, who seemed as perky as ever even though she didn't sleep the night before either. "Get some sleep, Rin," Selphie said worriedly. "You're still under stress, remember?" 

"Grr...that's what Squall said!" Rinoa frowned. She sighed and nodded. "Fine..." Grumbling, she headed back down. Squall watched as she passed him silently and retreated to her tent. He made a mental note to check on her later and headed up the hill. 

* * *

_ "That was quite a storm last night, wasn't it?" Quistis asked as she, Selphie, and Rinoa walked down the market place street. "I'm surprised no one closed up for today." _

"Well, end of the week mornings are the best time to sell!" Selphie said. "It's everyone's shopping day." 

"Which makes me wonder why people still bothered to come out," Rinoa sighed. "There are puddles everywhere." 

"Tell me about it! The rain water is seeping into my slippers!" Quistis frowned. 

As if to answer her comment, two strong arms swept her up. Her eyes went wide as Seifer seemed to appear out of no where and carry her. "Good morning, my princess!" he told her sweetly as his arrogant smirk graced his face. "Did the lightning and thunder scare you last night? You should've come to palace. I would've let you stay with me." 

"Your highness, do you know what 'regicide' is?" Quistis asked as she glared daggers at him. Seifer shook his head. "You're about to find out!" Quistis raised her arms to choke him and Rinoa and Selphie grabbed on her. 

"Quistis, no!" Rinoa gasped. 

"Hyne, Seifer, let her go," an exasperated voice mumbled behind him. Seifer turned around and saw Squall there, holding a heavy basket filled with vegetables for the temple. "You asked to come with me to the market because you wanted to stalk Quistis, didn't you?" he accused. 

Seifer slowly put Quistis down and she shoved him away. Seifer shook his head. "I don't 'stalk', puberty boy, I 'pursue aggressively'," Seifer corrected him. He turned back to Quistis. "At any rate, where were we..." his voice trailed off as Rinoa, Selphie, and Quistis had vanished from where they were standing in front of him. "What the...?" 

Squall grinned slightly. "And she just didn't 'reject' you, she's just in 'denial'." 

"Hell yeah!" Seifer said. He cut through the thick crowds in the market place, leaving Squall standing there. 

He shook his head. "He's gone." 

"Whoo! Thank you, Squall!" Quistis, Selphie, and Rinoa all peeked out from behind a stack of carpets. Quistis stepped out and dragged the other two with her. 

"You do know, Quistis," Squall said. "That you probably will be our future Queen at this point." 

Quistis sighed and rolled her eyes. "Hyne, I pray not." 

"C'mon! We still have to go pick up my aunt's vegetables from the farmer's market!" Selphie said. She started running off. "See you later, Squall!" 

"Bye, Selphie." Squall waved. Quistis bowed her head to him and quickly went after the young woman. 

Rinoa stood there, hesitant to leave. "Um..." she began nervously. Squall smiled slightly and Rinoa blushed. "I-" 

"Squall!" a voice shouted behind him. Rinoa stopped in mid sentence. She looked over his shoulder and saw Zell running towards them wearing his uniform from the palace. 

Squall turned around and immediately noticed the worried look on Zell's face. "What's wrong?" 

"Where's Seifer! We just got a message relayed to us on the water supply!" Zell gasped out. 

Squall's eyes narrowed. "He ran down that way...wait, what's wrong?" Squall asked. 

"Last's night rain colored the well waters with sediment and other things from the ground," Zell told him breathless. "They're contaminated and we're to send out a warning immediately." 

Squall nodded. "I understand," Zell waved at Rinoa before he ran past her to look for Seifer. Squall looked back at the young woman and took his hand. "Don't drink the water, all right?" 

Rinoa nodded subtle. "I won't..." 

"Good," Squall lifted her the back of her hand and kissed it softly. "I have to get back to the temple. I'll see you soon." Rinoa nodded and watched as his hand slipped out of hers as he ran in the opposite direction. 

She let out a heavy sigh and turned around. She barely took one step when she ran into a woman in deep teal robes with black chords. She wore a black scarf over her head and had it wrapped around her neck and shoulders loosely. "Oh, I'm sorry!" Rinoa gasped. 

"It's all right," the woman said as she stumbled a bit. Rinoa held on to her so she could regain her footing. The young woman smiled at Rinoa with brown eyes and short, shoulder length, straight brown hair. "Oh...it's you!" 

Rinoa tilted her head to the side and slowly recognized the woman's clothing. She was a prophet. Teal with black chords belonged to a certain group of 'gifted' people. The young looking woman smiled warmly at Rinoa. "Are you hurt?" 

"No, I'm fine," she said sweetly. "You are with Squall?" 

At the mere mention of his name, she felt her face burn. "Uh...how did you know?" 

"I'm an old friend," she told her warmly. "Ellone." 

"Nice to meet you, Ellone," Rinoa smiled sheepishly. "Are you looking for him? He was heading down that way." 

"I'll meet him at the temple," Ellone said. She looked at Rinoa and Rinoa could read the sad emotions in Ellone's eyes as she looked at her. Rinoa knew that Ellone knew her fate as well and her smile slowly left her face. Ellone's hands took hers. "The skies from last night cry for you...something has started." 

"Something bad...I know..." Rinoa whispered. Ellone squeezed her hands gently. 

"Everything happens for a reason," Ellone told Rinoa softly. "Trust in that." 

Rinoa nodded and Ellone let go of her hands. "Oh!" Rinoa said as Ellone began to walk away. "The rains...the water is-" 

"Only the beginning," Ellone told her solemnly. A sad smile caressed the other woman's face. "The skies will cry many more times..." Rinoa squinted her eyes as Ellone's dark covered head disappeared in the crowds. 

She felt a drop hit her arm and she looked down at it. A wet spots began to appear on her toga and she looked up at the sky. Dark clouds hovered above Centra. Rinoa frowned. "They're crying again..." 


	9. The Night I Lost My Life

**Mythology**  
_Chapter Nine:_ The Night I Lost My Life  
By PasifiKStaR 

**Author's Note**: I think I revealed a bit much in this chapter, but it has to happen sometime. Anyway, starting in May, I'm going to take a MONTH LONG BREAK!!! :D Please don't hate me, I'm just kind of drained right now. I'll make it up to you, I promise! 

*All Standard Disclaimers Apply: I do not own Final Fantasy.

* * *

As soon as she had fallen on her cot, she knocked out. Her head gently rested on her pillow as she laid there, her black shoes still on. Her eyes were closed as her mouth parted for her soft breaths. Her head was tilted to side as her arms laid limply at her sides. She was so drained, she didn't even know she had fallen asleep. When her heavy eyes finally opened, she realized she had. 

She looked up at the tent and noticed that there was no light trying to penetrate her tent, meaning it was night already. She closed her eyes tiredly and took a breath. She shifted and felt something holding her down. Rinoa's brown eyes opened and turned to her left. A soft smile caressed her lips as she saw Squall's hand gently placed on top of hers. 

She followed the leather clad arm up to the man who was slumped over in her chair, next to her bed. His eyes were closed and his head leaning forward. Stray brown bangs fell over his handsome face as his shoulders moved slightly with each breath. 

*How long has he been here...?* she thought. Her brown eyes drifted over to her desk. Her lock said it was around ten and she frowned. She had been asleep for nearly fourteen hours! As if to solidify her discovery, her stomach grumbled. 

At the slight sound of her stomach, Squall's eyes blinked open and he looked around quickly, as if he had fallen asleep on some sort of duty. His hand was still encasing hers when he felt her slender fingers gently squeeze his hands. Blue eyes softened as they turned to look at her. "Did I wake you?" he asked thoughtfully. 

Rinoa shook his head slightly as she blushed. "How long have you been here?" she whispered. She frowned. Her voice was raspy. 

Squall's hand pulled out of hers and lifted to slowly brush back her blond streaked locks from her face. "Long enough," he whispered. "Are you hungry?" 

"Very," she replied. "Has the food come in yet?" 

Squall nodded and noticed her try to sit up. His arms swept around her and gently helped her into a sitting position. Rinoa felt her face blush heatedly as her legs went over the side of the cot. "Stay here, I'll get you something to eat." 

Rinoa nodded. "Water, too?" 

"Water, too." Squall gave her one last look before exiting her tent and slipping out into the darkness outside. Rinoa reached over and turned on the lamp on her desk. It illuminated the entire room lightly and she stretched out. Curious, she stood up and stepped outside her tent. 

The tents, except for the cafeteria and research tent, had all been taken down. The only other tents, where Selphie, Quistis, Irvine, Zell, and Seifer resided were now clumped together closer to the base of the mountain, leaving her tent and the research tent as the outliers. She saw Squall's tent close by, his being the only one that was dark blue instead of dark green. It was taken down slightly to avoid being blown away by the wind. 

"Hey," a voice said quietly. Rinoa turned her head and smiled as she saw Quistis walking out of the tent. "How are you feeling?" 

Rinoa nodded slightly. "I'm okay..." she said. "Should I move my tent?" 

"We'll move it tomorrow," Quistis said fondly. She stood next to Rinoa and let out a heavy sigh. "You missed the chaos." 

Rinoa grinned. "Was it that bad?" Quistis closed her eyes and nodded. She raised her hand to rub the bridge of her nose as the memory of the day flooded her mind. 

"We had to take down two dozen tents by ourselves," Quistis told her. "That was how we spent most of the day." 

"You guys didn't get any sleep!?" Rinoa gasped. She immediately frowned. "Quistis, everyone was up last night!" 

"No, no," Quistis assured her. "We took naps here and there. Around noon, Selphie, Zell, and I all fell asleep. The other three seemed to be wide awake." 

"I see," Rinoa said. She turned to scan the area once more. "So what's going to happen? Where did all the stuff go?" 

"Well, until the volunteers return, Hyne knows when," Quistis began as she also studied the camp area. "We'll be here doing survey work. I've already planned the tasks. Zell's in charge of food, Selphie is to take Irvine to the market area to do the measurements. Seifer and I will continue at the palace. Squall will stay here in the research tent with you and you'll finish up the tablets and any other artifacts we manage to bring up. And we packed the stuff behind the cafeteria tent." 

Rinoa nodded. "It seems like so much for just seven people..." she whispered. She glanced up at Quistis. "How are you taking it?" 

Quistis let out a slight chuckle. "Don't worry about me," she said. "As long as I'm allowed to stay and do my work, I'm happy." 

"You're such a workaholic, Quistis..." Rinoa sighed. 

"You didn't want to leave either," Quistis reminded her. Rinoa looked away sheepishly and Quistis laughed. "Well, it's getting late...I just going to get some sleep. Did you eat?" 

"Squall's bringing me something from the cafeteria," Rinoa told her. Quistis nodded. "Did you?" 

"As soon as the food arrived, we raided it," Quistis said. She turned and began to head for her tent. "I'll see you tomorrow, Rin! We have a long day ahead of us." 

Rinoa nodded. "Good night, Quistis!" As she waved Quistis passed by Squall, who was walking down the path with a tray of food and a bottle of water. He acknowledged Quistis with a nod. Rinoa waited for him to arrive. "What did you get me?" she asked cheerfully. 

"Cold spaghetti and slightly warm sauce," Squall said. "Sorry, we just had left overs." 

Rinoa shook her head. "That's okay," she said. Squall motioned for her to go into the tent with his head while he followed behind her. She pulled out a small folding table that was just big enough for the tray and set it up in front of her cot. "Thanks..." 

Squall placed it in front of her as she sat on her cot. He sat on the chair across from her and handed her a fork as he lifted up the plastic cover. The entire plate was covered with strands of spaghetti and drenched with sauce. "I didn't eat either," he explained. He lifted up another fork and began to eat. "Go ahead and start." 

"Huh?" Rinoa shook her head and nodded as she stabbed the food and began to curl it around her fork. "Umm...Squall?" 

"Yeah?" He didn't look up from what he was eating. 

"How long where you here?" Rinoa asked quietly. She quickly stuffed the spaghetti into her mouth as Squall paused. His eyes rose to meet hers, making her heart skip a beat. 

"Just an hour..." he said, trailing off. *Or three...* he added mentally. 

Rinoa nodded. "If there was so much work, you should've woken me. I could've helped." 

"You were knocked out," Squall replied. "No one wanted to wake you." 

"I feel bad for not being able to-" 

"You can help tomorrow," he told her. "For now, just get some rest." 

She giggled as she finished slurping up a noodle. "I just had fourteen hours of sleep Squall. I think I'm all rested out." A slight smile tugged at his lips and Rinoa felt herself blush at the mere sight of it. 

"Then we have a problem now, don't we?" he said. "The rest of them will be sleeping while we're wide awake. And then tomorrow, we'll be sleeping when they'll be wide awake. It's going to be difficult trying to work together when we're nocturnal." 

"What do you mean 'we'?" Rinoa laughed as she swallowed her food. "You have to get some sleep." 

"I can't leave you to your own devices," Squall told her casually as they finished up the food with much gusto. "Besides, if I let myself go now, I'll just slip into a food coma." 

"Well, what do you suggest we do?" Rinoa paused. "Actually...I could get to work on those tablets." 

"You haven't been down to the ruins for a while," Squall reminded her. "We should go see how far they progressed." 

"But it's dark!" Rinoa said, putting down her fork. "We won't be able to see anything." 

"That never stopped you before." Squall reminded her. Rinoa blushed. She forgot that Squall knew all about her little disappearing act that caused her to wind up unconscious for a few hours. 

"Well...okay, fine. I'll get my flash light," she sighed as she stood up. "I hope those grave robbers aren't any where near." 

"Grave robbers?" 

"Yeah," Rinoa said as she opened up a chest by her desk and began to rummage through it. "I saw light in the ruins that night and when I woke up, Quistis told me that someone had stolen some of the bodies in the tombs." 

"Stolen bodies?" Squall asked. She nodded and pulled out a big yellow flash light. She turned it on to check the batteries. 

"The Chamber of the Dead," Rinoa said. "There are six tombs in there and they were all opened and the bodies were missing. Strangely enough, nothing else was stolen." 

"Are you sure there were GRAVE robbers?" Squall persisted. Rinoa nodded once more and turned to look at him. 

"What else could they be?" she asked. Squall paused for a moment and nodded. 

"You're probably right," he said. He stood up and wiped his mouth with a napkin. "I'll bring the tray back to the cafeteria and stop by my tent to get a flash light." 

"Okay, I'll wait in the research tent." Rinoa replied. She pocketed some extra batteries just incase. 

"And don't worry about the grave robbers," Squall said as he headed towards the exit with the tray in his hands. "I'll protect you." 

Rinoa laughed slightly as he vanished outside. She stopped slowly and touched her cheeks. They were burning with warmth. *Protect me, huh?* she smiled. *Sure.* 

* * *

"Watch your step," Squall said as his warm hand wrapped around Rinoa's. She steadied herself before jumping down to his level. They both held flashlights in their free hands as Squall lead her through the palace. He carefully stepped over fallen pillars and walls, holding her hand the entire time to make sure she avoided them as well. "I believe Seifer and Quistis were doing their little dancing number here." 

Rinoa giggled and shined her flash light around as they stepped into the center of the fallen ballroom. "Wow...this place must've been something..." 

"Very much so," Squall told her with a slight smile. "In the summer months, they would have fire works after all the grand parties." 

"Really?" Rinoa asked. She had let go of his hand to wander around. She inspected the ceiling with her flash light and smiled slightly as the moonlight shone down against her. Her eyes trailed downwards and landed on the columns that supported the once glorious ceiling. The columns had niches in them were oil lamps had been kept to illuminate the room. "I wish I could've seen it when it was brand new. I bet there were people lined along the walls, watching people dance..." 

Squall chuckled as he sat down on a fallen column. He put his flash light next to him and smiled slightly as he watched her rummage around. "So...when your Matron told you the stories of the Fall of Centra...what did she say happened?" 

Rinoa shrugged as she wandered around. "She said that a woman was possessed by an evil sorceress and she destroyed Centra..." Rinoa paused underneath the center of the ceiling and raised her flashlight towards the sky. "She said that she was stopped when her lover killed her." 

Rinoa missed the look of pain that flashed through Squall's face. He looked down at his hands. "Is that your favorite story?" 

Rinoa nodded and brought the flashlight back over him. He blinked and turned his head as she giggled and pulled the flash light away. "It sure is!" She said as she walked over to him. They had been wandering around the ruins for hours. She hadn't told him about the strange feelings she had gotten as they wandered through certain parts. Especially through the temple. 

"Why?" Squall asked, confused as she sat down next to him on the pillar. She turned off her flash light and placed it next to her. They were facing the east side of the ball room. "It's a sad story." 

"Yeah, but it's a beautiful story," Rinoa insisted. She brought her knees up to her chest. "Man, I'm tired...you made we walk through all of ancient Centra!" 

Squall merely laughed and shook his head. "Ancient Centra would've been more exciting to walk through all those years ago." he replied wistfully. Rinoa nodded. 

"Do you hate the story?" Rinoa asked. She turned her head slightly to look up at him. Squall shrugged, not looking at her, but looking straight ahead. 

"It's just a story..." he whispered. 

Rinoa followed his gaze. "I think it's romantic..." 

"Romantic?" Squall asked, almost shocked. "What? HOW? The man killed his lover!" 

Rinoa sighed. "It's not about death, Squall," Rinoa said. "It's about devotion. Self-sacrifice. Inner strength and passion," She paused to let him answer, but he kept silent. She continued on. "The woman didn't want to die, obviously, but she didn't want to destroy the world where she and the man she loved had the happiest moments of the lives. She freely sacrificed herself to spare all those she loved and to protect her memories. She didn't want to hurt anyone else." 

"It doesn't change the fact that he still killed her..." Squall mumbled. 

Rinoa leaned forward slightly, her eyes still focused on the dark horizon. "He didn't kill her, Squall," Rinoa whispered in reply. He turned to look at her and strained his ears to hear what she would say next. "She was trapped...and he set her free." 

* * *

_ "I still can't believe it," Rinoa said as she stood in a little circle along with Quistis and Selphie. She looked up at the tall, slender blond. "You're actually going through with this." _

"Squall was right," Quistis sighed tiredly as she held a wine glass lazily with one hand. One hand that carried a large, crystal clear, sparkling gemstone on a elegant platinum band. "Someone has to run this country and Hyne forbid that it's going to be Seifer." 

Selphie raised an eyebrow. "So...you're saying that you're marrying him for the good of the nation?" she asked, choosing her words carefully. 

Quistis nodded and quickly took another sip of her wine. "Of course," Quistis said sternly. "Merely for the good of the nation." 

"Are you sure it's not because you love him?" Rinoa asked, raising an eyebrow in question. She watched Quistis' features carefully as the blonde's blue eyes quickly darted to their right and eyed the tall blond man in the white and gold robes. 

He had been talking to some nobles, but her sapphire eyes quickly caught his. He smiled slightly, emerald orbs twinkling mischievously as he lifted his wine glass to her. Instantly, Quistis' realized she had been caught and turned her head away, her face flushing. "I do NOT love him!" 

"Right..." Selphie and Rinoa chorused. Quistis frowned. 

"Look at the man!" Quistis said, pointing directly to Seifer while not looking at him. "He's obviously not capable of running a country like Centra. Frankly, I find him incapable of doing anything." 

"Aww...Quisty, did you miss me?" Seifer's voice cut through their conversation and Quistis turned around, her eyes narrowed as she realized that he had walked over. His arm slipped around her slim, silver toga lined waist. 

Rinoa and Selphie giggled, both noticing the hardened look on Quistis' face soften with a few perfectly placed caresses from Seifer's hand. "Well..." Rinoa said as she and Selphie began to back away. "I guess, we should leave the two love birds alone." 

"Would you?" Seifer asked, almost sweetly. The two brunettes giggled and Quistis sent him a glare. 

"See you later, Quistis!" Selphie smiled cheerfully. She and Rinoa quickly turned and sped away, leaving Quistis opened mouthed, but not fast enough to stop them. 

"Why did you encourage them!?" Quistis snapped at the other blond. Seifer shrugged and leaned over quickly. He kissed her cheek and Quistis struggled to keep from turning red. 

"I just wanted you all to myself." Seifer smirked. All around them, people were enjoying the party. Friends of the family as well as important members of Centran society had been invited to come to the engagement party of the future King and Queen of Centra. 

Rinoa looked over her shoulder and smiled contentedly as Seifer put his arms around Quistis and gently kissed her on the lips. *I never knew he could kiss her without getting a black eye...* she thought to herself, amused. Seifer had announced just a week before that Quistis Trepe, daughter of the greatest man on all of Academia, was going to be his wife. 

Quistis hadn't been present in the market place when Seifer had Zell stand by the central fountain and make the announcement. She had been watching the shop with Selphie's aunt. However, Rinoa and Selphie had been at the market place. They ran up to Seifer after the announcement and asked when he proposed. Seifer merely smirked and said "I just did." 

By the time the two girls reached the store, Quistis was already being mobbed by well wishers and a few jealous noblemen's daughters. She accepted the congratulations, but didn't know why they were congratulating her. It was Selphie who told her the news. 

Furious, the blond ran out of the shop, through the market place and nearly throttled Zell for information as to Seifer's whereabouts. 

"Um...he said you would be mad so he went to seek shelter at the temple!" Zell said as he tried to pry Quistis' vice like grip from around his neck. 

She dropped him like a rock and when Selphie and Rinoa reached Zell, he was on the ground rubbing his bruised neck. He told them where she had went and they ran to the temple. There, Quistis was being held back by several monks as Seifer stood in front of her, kneeling down with an engagement ring. 

Squall stood a little bit away, rubbing his head. It had taken the combined strength of Rinoa, Selphie, and Irvine to drag Quistis back. Quistis stayed locked in her room for three days, not wanting to see anyone. Well wishers came by every day to get a glimpse at the future queen. Seifer also came by every day, but she would not see him. 

Finally, Zell arrived and said that Seifer was sick. Quistis said she didn't care, but when she thought Rinoa and Selphie were asleep, she sneaked out. Irvine let her into the palace and lead her to Seifer's room. She had paid him off to keep him silent, but since Selphie and Rinoa had followed her, it didn't do any good. 

Seifer wasn't physically sick, just somewhat depressed. Rinoa and Selphie made Irvine and Zell lock them in the room for hours to 'talk'. For a few hours, it was mostly yelling. Finally, by dawn, Quistis had agreed to marry him. 

"Irvy!" Selphie's voice cut through Rinoa's thoughts and she turned and smiled. She waved at Irvine as Selphie skipped over to him. 

"They're getting along nicely, aren't they?" a deep voice whispered in her ear. Rinoa didn't have to recognize the voice to know who it belonged to. His mere presence caused her knees to grow weak. He didn't have to do or say anything. 

"Squall..." Rinoa already felt her entire body heating up just as his name rolled off her tongue. He smiled slightly. 

"How is your evening?" he asked casually. Rinoa looked him over. He wasn't wearing temple clothes this time. He was wearing a dark blue toga edged with silver. 

"I'm fine!" she said happily. She looked around them nervously. "Umm..." she said in a low voice. "Should we leave...?" 

A smile tugged at the corners of his lips. "Let's stay a few more minutes. You leave first and I'll follow. So it won't be so obvious." 

Rinoa nodded slightly. Their relationship had been secret for a while now. They suspected that the others knew, but they wouldn't say anything. "So you're going to oversee the wedding ceremony?" 

Squall nodded. "Yes," He replied. "I've selected a good day. I asked my sister how the day will be, but she hasn't replied to me about it." 

"You have a sister?" Rinoa asked curiously. Squall shook his head slightly. 

"She's not my blood sister, but I consider her that," Squall explained. "She's a prophet-" 

"Ellone!" Rinoa gasped suddenly. Squall paused and nodded slightly. 

"How did you know?" 

"I met her once..." Rinoa stammered. "In the market place..." Squall's eyes narrowed slightly. She diverted his eyes and he frowned. 

"Did she say something...to upset you?" he asked in a soft voice. Rinoa shook her head. 

"No!" she assured him, a smile plastered on her face. "Nothing I already didn't know! Anyway, let's not talk about that now! This is a happy evening," she insisted, turning back to Seifer and Quistis. She was scowling slightly as he kept pulling her closer to him. "...at least it is for Seifer." 

Squall chuckled slightly and looked back at the future King and Queen. Seifer lead Quistis towards the a mountain of gifts that he would present to her. Quistis looked up at it in shock. She was unsure of how to react. "Ahem!" Seifer shouted. 

The music played on in the background as only a few people around him turned towards them. Seifer frowned and Quistis had a light smirk on her face. "They're not listening..." she said in a sing song voice. 

Seifer coughed once more. "SHUT UP!" he growled. The entire ballroom went silent, except for Rinoa and Selphie's muffled snickering. He looked around at the crowd, his face looking stern. "I have something to say!" 

*You always do, but that doesn't mean we always listen...* Quistis thought to herself smugly. 

Seifer reached out and took her hand. "I want to present my future Queen with gifts of which I have rightfully gained on the conquest!" 

"Meaning spoils of war." Irvine said with a roll of his eyes as Selphie giggled once more. 

"To symbolize all of which will be bestowed upon her as my WIFE," he stressed. Quistis bit her lip to keep from rolling her eyes. Seifer reached out with his free hand and lifted a small box. "I present her with this chest. Everything that is mine is hers." 

He leaned over and kissed her gently on the cheek. He placed the little box in her hands and Quistis blushed. "Thank you..." she said, loudly for everyone to hear. "My love..." *I just did NOT say that...ugh...I feel so...eww...* 

Seifer smiled, pleased, and she smiled back warmly. Her hand squeezed his gently and he lifted her hand to his lips. "You may all return to the party now!" Seifer shouted. 

Irvine let out a groan as he ran his hand down his face. "Who really says 'you may all return to the party'?" he said as he threw his hands up. "I swear, he as no finesse what so ever." 

"I'm going to check out Quistis' presents!" Selphie said gleefully. Irvine nodded and let her hand slip out of his as she headed to the mountain. 

Quistis was left alone to face her gifts, Seifer's symbolic present still in her hands. He had been whisked away by Council members to discuss wedding plans. Rinoa also left Squall's side momentarily to talk to Quistis. 

"So...what'd you get?" Rinoa said. 

Quistis looked down at the box. "It looks like a jewelry box from the north..." she mumbled as she looked at it. 

"Let me see! Let me see!" Selphie said. She peered over and looked it over. Her nose wrinkled. "It looks old." 

"Yes, but that just adds to it's beauty..." Quistis said, slightly defensive. 

"Well?" Rinoa said cheerfully. "What are you waiting for!? Open it!" 

"Yeah!" Selphie agreed, her eyes large with wonder. "I bet he put something in there!" 

Quistis chuckled to herself. *He would, actually...* She pressed the crystal buttons that locked the case and they heard it click. 

Something in Rinoa caused her to freeze suddenly. Her smile left her face as she watched Quistis' pale hand lift up the top. All she could do was stand there with a vacant expression on her face as she watched Selphie and Quistis' eyes grow large. They let out a yell as they dropped the box. 

It fell right into Rinoa's awaiting hand and shock flashed through their faces as Rinoa stood there, unmoving. She wanted to squint, but her body wouldn't let her. Her vision was growing dark and foggy. It was growing darker, but she could see the horrified faces of her friends as they vanished in a wash of cloudy darkness. Her head began to throb, as if someone was breaking into her mind. 

In the far reaches of her mind, she could make out his voice. He suddenly sounded afraid as he called out to her. She couldn't even turn her head to look at him as she slipped away. Something was pushing her out of her own mind and she felt as if a heavy liquid was coating her from within. Like poison. Just before she lost control, she was able to make him out. They were holding him back from her and she couldn't understand why. 

But his ice blue eyes contained fear. Fear that he was going to loose her. Her name slipped past his lips as his arms reached for her. "Rinoa" was the last thing she would hear from him. 

* * *

He felt her head rest against his shoulder and looked down at her. From the horizon, the early rays of the sun peeked through in a rich array of warm colors. The dawn was slowly illuminating her placid face. 

Her eyes were open as she looked out before them. She didn't seem to be aware of what she was doing. His heart was beating quickly as he lifted one arm around her shoulders. He felt her stiffen slightly, but quickly relax. He glanced down at her once more and noticed the reddish color in her cheeks. 

Rinoa felt his hand gently cup her chin and lift her face to meet his. Her eyes were hesitant to look at him, but once they did, they were locked on. His hand gently caressed her face as his eyes tried to read hers. Slowly, his head lowered down. She closed her eyes, his breath going over her peachy skin. 

His lips were soft, warm, and incredibly talented. She felt her face burn up even more as she was pulled closer to his body. The smell of leather and a subtle cologne flooded her senses as his lips pressed against hers strongly. Her hands slowly rose and placed themselves on his chest, slowly winding around his body, underneath his jacket. 

Her entire body felt weak and it seemed that for the moment, he was the only thing holding her up. He gently caressed her hair as he parted for a breath. Before she could ask any questions, Squall leaned down and kissed her once more, putting a little more energy into the action. He could feel her rapid heart beats against his chest and the heat of her body against him. 

It seemed like eternity when he finally let her go. She was flushed all over as her eyes dropped. His gaze continued to stay on her gentle figure intently. "Umm..." she whispered, deciding to break the silence that hung over them. "I..." 

His hand reached up and brushed her bangs out of her face. "I know a story," he whispered as Rinoa looked up at him. Sunlight was slowly peeking into the fallen palace. "About Centra," he paused. "Would you like to hear it?" 

Rinoa looked up at him and nodded slightly, transfixed in his eyes. "Yes..." she whispered. She didn't even realize that her arms were resting around his waist or that his were still around her body. 

"There was once two Centras," he said softly as pleading blue eyes looked at her. "One was on the ground, a little ways from here. It was a city populated by mortals." 

"And the other?" Rinoa asked. Deep within her soul she knew the answer. She didn't know how, but she knew. 

"The other was in the heavens," Squall told her gently, his face looking almost nostalgic. "It was a city populated by immortals..." 

"Like gods?" Rinoa asked, tilting her head to the side slightly while looking confused. Squall shook his head. 

"No," he replied. "Simply immortals." 

"They could never die then?" Rinoa asked. 

"They live for ever," Squall told her. "But can still be killed by the hands of another immortal. The woman from your myth was an immortal." 

Rinoa's brown eyes narrowed. "So her lover...?" 

"He was an immortal as well," he answered. "He would live forever carrying the pain of murdering the one he loved the most. An eternity of guilt...of self loathe..." 

She could see the pain in his eyes. It filled her with remorse as she tightened her hold around him and buried her head against the crook of his neck. His arms fell from her form as she held him. "He shouldn't feel that way..." Rinoa whispered. 

Squall sat there numbly. "He should..." 

Rinoa shook her head. "She wouldn't want him to..." Rinoa whispered back. She began to notice tears rimming in her eyes as she felt an overwhelming aura of emotional pain wash over her. Her fingers dug into the cloth of his shirt. She closed her eyes. "I don't want you to..." 

* * *

Selphie was heading to the bathroom, determined to get there before she experienced another Seifer x Quistis moment. She shivered at the very thought and picked up her pace. She was nearly the research tent, when she heard footsteps approaching. Not knowing who it could be, she quickly ducked behind the tent and peeked around the corner. 

Green eyes went wide as she saw Squall trudging up the hill, Rinoa fast asleep on his back with her arms lazily around his neck. In her hands were two flash lights and it looked like they were returning from the ruins. Selphie smirked slightly and watched as Squall balanced Rinoa riding piggy-back on him while opening her tent. 

As soon as he had miraculously managed to get it open, he stepped in. Selphie waited for a while. She saw the tent flap move again and she expected Squall to come back out. Instead, it zipped closed. Her eyes went wide as she realized what was going on. *Wait until I tell QUISTIS!!* 

* * *

_"I don't want you to..."_ Her words echoed in his ears as he laid down next to her on her cot. He was partially amazed that it would hold them both up. His arm was wrapped around Rinoa's shoulder as she curled up against him on her side. 

His heavy jacket was laying across her chair along with hers while their shoes laid at a pile next to the cot. Rinoa's blanket was around them. Gently, he caressed his hair as she slept. 

*I shouldn't be here...* he thought to himself. *Quistis or Selphie could walk in at any moment and see us...* Despite his objects, he didn't budge. He just wanted to be with her a few moments longer. 

Her words hadn't reached him fast enough. When he finally realized what she had said, Rinoa had fallen asleep against him momentarily. When he shifted, she stirred and he told her he would take her back to her tent. She got on his back, held the flash lights, and allowed him to carry her away. Squall skillfully maneuvered them both out of the ruins and back to her tent. 

*But what did she mean by that? Does she know? No, impossible. She can't possibly know...* he reasoned. 

Suddenly, Rinoa moved and Squall froze in his side of the cot. He looked down at her face and watched as she reacted to a dream. Her eyes closed tighter and her fingers, which had been holding on to his shirt, tightened around the cloth. He could feel her body stiffen in his arms. 

Her soft pink lips opened and let out a gasp of air. "I'm sorry..." she whispered softly. Squall felt his heart stop in his chest. Her face fell and her grip loosened. "I'm sorry, Quistis..." she nearly choked out. Squall closed his eyes and held her tighter. 

She reacted unconsciously and tightened her hold around him. He looked down at her face and saw tears slipping from her eyes. Squall knew what she was dreaming about and held her tighter. He would've given anything for her to never ever re-live that night. She sniffled against him. "Shh..." he whispered. "Everything will be fine..." 

Rinoa's breathing was in short gasps and he could feel her chest rising and falling sharply against him. He reached out and gently checked the pulse against her neck. As expected, her heart beats weren't normal. He moved away slightly, about to reach for his bag, which was resting against the side of the cot. She only tightened her hold. 

"Selphie..." she whimpered tearfully. "I'm sorry..." 

Her voice was painfully miserable and Squall bit his lip. He didn't blame her. Seifer didn't blame her. Irvine and Zell didn't blame her. But she blamed herself, it seemed. It wasn't her who was doing it, but because it was her body being used... 

"Rinoa..." 

She began to cry in her sleep. Squall closed his eyes and held her against him. She had seen her past. She had seen the past of hers he didn't want her to see - the night Ultimecia possessed her body and took the lives of her two best friends. 

* * *

_ Smoke coiled around her body and Quistis screamed. Seifer ran to her, pushing away his body guards as he grabbed his wife to be and pulled her back against him. "No!" Quistis screamed. Her face was filled with panic as her wide blue eyes looked up at the swirling darkness surrounding her friend. "No! Let me go! I have to help her!" _

"You can't help her!" Seifer shouted. "Quistis! Stop!" 

"Rinoa!" Quistis screamed. All around them people were screaming and vacating the glorious ball room while in front of them, a young dark haired woman as lost in a sea dark energy. 

"Irvy, please!" Selphie shouted as well, her voice just as terrified. She was being held back by two strong arms around her waist. "Stop! I have to help her!" 

"Hold on, Selphie!" Irvine pleaded as she kicked and flailed her arms. 

Perhaps fighting to be freed worse than Quistis and Selphie was Squall. The young man who had grown up in a temple and fought in numerous battles was struggling against Zell and Raijin's iron grips. He reached out to the young woman who was trapped in a vortex of darkness. 

Her hair rose in the air as wind seemed to create a funnel with her in the middle. The fine cloth of her toga whirled around her body as a shadow emerged from the box. A sorceress. An even more ancient evil sealed within a dark box hidden away for centuries before Seifer found it. Squall had sensed it the moment the blond man showed it to him, but Seifer insisted it was nothing. 

Now Seifer's 'nothing' was settling into Rinoa's body. For the life of him, Squall couldn't understand why they wouldn't let him go to her. Everyone was fleeing around them through all the exits. The only ones who stayed where those who were struggling to save her and those who were keeping them from doing so. 

"You have to let me go!" Squall growled. "Rinoa!!" 

The box dropped from her hands and landed on the hard cold floor with a clank. Now, it was nothing more than a wooden, lacquered chest. The window was dying down around Rinoa, but something was different about her. She stood there, her hair a disaster around her head. 

"Rinoa!" Selphie and Quistis shouted. They stopped struggling for the time being as they watched the young woman slowly lift her head. Her eyes were closed. "Rinoa!" 

Irvine and Seifer made their biggest mistake. As soon as both women had finished struggling, they loosened their holds. And Selphie and Quistis were able to break loose of their embrace. "Quistis, no!" Seifer shouted as Quistis pushed him aside and ran to her friend. 

"SELPHIE!" Irvine yelled in horror as she squirmed out of his grasp. The blond and the petite brunette rushed forward. 

"Rinoa, are you-!" Quistis stopped in mid sentence as Rinoa's hand flew up and wrapped itself around her neck. 

"Rin-!" Selphie began, but had the wind knocked out of her as Rinoa's other hand grasped her neck. Her eyes went wide with shock and confusion as Rinoa's grip tightened unnaturally strongly. 

"Rinoa, what are you doing!?" Zell gasped. 

Seifer ran towards them and was immediately recoiled by an invisible shield around them. Irvine's eyes went wide as he ran forward and was also thrown back. Energy crackled around Rinoa's body as her eyes slowly opened to reveal glowing red orbs. 

"Rinoa..." Squall gasped, his body frozen in it's spot. 

"Rinoa is gone," her mouth was opening, but that was sure as hell not her voice. Upon hearing it, Quistis and Selphie paled even more as they felt their lives being drained away. "And soon these two will be as well." 

"No!" Seifer shouted. 

He foolishly ran forward again and was once again thrown back. He shook his head and looked up, watching in horror as black smoke coiled around Quistis and Selphie's bodies. It seemed to wind around them, taking their very essence and drawing it back into Rinoa's body. 

"Who are you!?" Zell yelled out. 

"Where is Rinoa!?" Squall growled out angrily. 

Her fingers, which now ended in insanely sharp tips, casually released Selphie and Quistis. Their bodies fell to the floor at her feet with dull thuds. They now had bruises around their neck. "Ultimecia," her eyes flashed red light once more as a foreign smirk graced Rinoa's usually content face. "She is dead." 

* * *

"Ugh!" Squall's eyes flew open. His heart pounded in his chest as sweat trickled down the sides of his face. His body was cold and damp. A warm hand reached up and touched his cheek. His head immediately looked down to look into Rinoa's worried face. 

"Are you all right?" she whispered softly. Squall nodded slightly. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes. 

"I'm fine..." he replied breathy. Rinoa narrowed her eyes suspiciously, but replaced her arm around his body. They were still laying on her cot. Squall closed his eyes and kissed her forehead as his arm wrapped around his body. "Are you all right?" he asked softly. 

Rinoa nodded. "Yes...Squall, what's wrong?" she persisted. 

"I dreamt..." he looked down at her. *I dreamt what you did...* he wanted to say. From Rinoa's looks, he could tell that she hadn't remembered her dream and he silently thanked Hyne for that. "Nothing..." he assured her. 

She nodded. "If you ever want to tell me," she said, making it obvious that she didn't buy his excuse. "I'll listen." 

"I know." Squall murmured. He buried his face at the top of her head, letting himself get lost in the scent of her dark hair. 

"Squall..." Rinoa said quietly. Her eyes were diverted and looking at the Griever pendent around his neck. There was only one explanation that would make sense to her, although she found herself not believing that it was the only explanation that would. She swallowed slightly and closed her eyes. She took a deep breath. "Can I ask you a question...?" 

"Yes..." Squall replied as he stroked her hair. 

Rinoa opened her eyes and lifted her head to face him. "Do you promise to answer me? Truthfully." Squall nodded. Rinoa took another deep breath and exhaled. Her eyes locked on with his. "Are you..." *This is so stupid...of course not!* her mind yelled. "Are you...an immor-" 

"Rinoa!" Zell's voice cut through her thoughts, immediately bringing her back into reality. She frowned. Zell seemed to tap on her tent door lightly. "Breakfast is ready! Have you see Squall, by the way?" 

She groaned. Squall shifted in the cot and sat up, putting his feet over the side of the cot. "I'm checking up on her right now!" he replied casually. He looked back down at Rinoa, who couldn't look at him. 

"Okay! See you two at breakfast!" Zell's cheerful voice called. 

They listened to him walk away and Squall looked down at Rinoa as he put on his boots. She sat up slowly, slightly embarrassed as she brushed her hair behind her ear. "Forget it," she mumbled. She turned to him with a fake smile. "Never mind." 

Squall paused slightly. He stood up, his back to Rinoa. He put his jacket on and turned around as he fixed his shirt. He knelt down by the side of her cot. "Get ready for breakfast," he told her. He paused and locked eyes with her once more. "...and Rinoa," he added softly. His eyes looked sad of a sudden and Rinoa saw pain in them. His hand lifted up and gently caressed her cheek before he stood up. With a simple one word answer, he turned and headed for the door. 

Rinoa sat there in bed and mouthed the last word he had told her in question. "Yes?" 


	10. The Sorceress

**Mythology**  
_Chapter Ten: The Sorceress_  
By PasifiKStaR

**Author's Note**: I'm back. Thanks for waiting for a month! And thanks to everyone who has been reviewing! I really appreciate the feedback and hope you guys continue to enjoy the story!

All Standard Disclaimers Apply: I do not own Final Fantasy.

* * *

"Quistis..." Seifer panted as he closed his eyes and carefully moved back from her. Quistis opened her eyes and frowned.

"What?" she asked, somewhat annoyed that he was stopping all of a sudden. Seifer opened his eyes and looked down at her. "Don't tell me you're tired already."

"Tired?" he scoffed out. "WHY would I be tired!?"

"You stopped."

"That's not the point," Seifer said. "It's the quality, not the quality that matters." he added as Quistis rolled her eyes.

"Forget it! I can do it myself! Just sit there and watch!" she snapped as she moved into a different position.

Seifer smirked. "Be glad to."

"Ugh!" Quistis grabbed a long metal object and shoved it into the seal that went around the crack. Seifer raised an eyebrow and watched in interest as she moved the object from side to side. She'd lift it up and then jam it back in until there was a slight pop. Grinning with self satisfaction, Quistis dropped the butter knife she had been using to loosen the metal lid from the glass jar before putting her hand on the lid and twisting it easily off the top of the strawberry jelly jar. She held it in her palm as she turned around and glared at Seifer. "See!? How hard was that?"

"I'm impressed," Seifer nodded. He crossed his hands over his chest as he leaned against the counter beside Quistis. "Now make me my sandwich."

"Ugh! No!" Quistis frowned and shoved the lid against his chest.

"Hey!" He let out a yelp, but wasn't fast enough to avoid the metal lid landing on his chest, leaving a red stain from sweet jelly. "What the hell! Thanks a lot!" he growled sarcastically.

"You're welcome." she answered sweetly as she took the butter knife and put it into the jar. She took out a healthy heap of jelly and slathered it over a slice of white bread before putting that slice over one slathered with peanut butter. Seifer grumbled something incoherent as he reached for some slices of bread to make his own sandwich.

"Hey!" a voice said. Quistis turned around as she lifted her sandwich to her mouth and bit into it. She smiled as Selphie walked in with Irvine and Zell behind her.

"Lunch ready?" Zell asked enthusiastically.

"Almost," Quistis replied. She looked over her shoulder at the portable grill where six hot dogs were being cooked. She turned back to the other three. "Where are Rinoa and Squall?"

"Rinoa's finishing up the sixth tablet and Squall disappeared." Irvine shrugged. Selphie went to one of the cabinets and dug out some condiments for the hot dogs.

"Disappeared?" Quistis asked. She looked over at Seifer, who was having trouble getting the peanut butter to stick to the bread without the bread crumbling. "Do you know where he might have gone?"

"How the hell am I supposed to know!?" he growled as he dropped the butter knife on the counter and lifted up a slice of bread that now had a hole in it.

"What's that supposed to be?" Irvine smirked. "A donut?"

"Shut up!" Seifer growled as he tossed it into the garbage can. Grumbling, he reached over and took another piece of bread.

"Seifer, you're wasting food." Quistis scolded lightly.

He whirled around to her, lifting the peanut butter coated butter knife in front of him. "Well, if you had done it for me in the first place instead of selfishly making one only for yourself, I wouldn't HAVE to." he retorted proudly.

"If you knew how to make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich to begin with, you wouldn't have to either." Quistis replied coolly.

Seifer opened his mouth to yell, but Zell let out a shout. "Okay! Who wants hot dogs!"

Selphie and Irvine jumped at the chance and Quistis watched them. She turned to Seifer. "Do you think you can find Squall?" Quistis asked casually. "And if you see Rinoa, tell her to come and eat, too."

"And WHY should I do that?" he asked. Quistis lifted up a piece of bread and quickly put peanut butter on it. She took another slice from the package and put jelly on it.

She handed it to him with a raised eyebrow. "You want the sandwich or not?"

Seifer frowned as his stomach let out a loud rumble. He narrowed his eyes and snatched the sandwich from her hand. "You were just waiting for this, weren't you?"

"You ARE smarter than you look!" she let out a fake gasp. Seifer rolled his eyes. As Quistis turned to look at the others, who were fighting over the ketchup, Seifer's arm darted out and grabbed her by the waist.

"I'll see you back at the ruins then." he whispered gruffly in her ear before letting her. Quistis felt her entire body burn as his hand lifted off her body. She turned around to smack him but he was already out the tent.

Seifer bit into his sandwich, relishing the taste of food. "Hey, Seifer, lunch start already?" He looked up and saw Rinoa approaching. He opened his mouth, but found that it was too stuffed with food. Rinoa laughed as he struggled to keep the chewed food in. "Forget it, you just keep on masticating. I'll get my own."

Seifer nearly choked. Rinoa let out a snicker as she walked past him and he tried to swallow his food. Looking disturbed, he turned around to look at her. "Keep on WHAT!?" he gasped, sounding disgusted.

Rinoa turned around just as she reached the entrance to the tent. "Masticating...you know... CHEWING?" she asked coolly, stressing that word. She smirked. "Where was YOUR mind?" she added before disappearing into the tent.

Seifer frowned. She really doesn't change... he thought to himself. He looked back to the dirt path and proceeded to make his way down it. There was only one place he could think of where Squall could've been hiding.

* * *

He stood rooted at his spot, staring down at the stone that lined the ground. The grounds of a place he walked over so much earlier in his life. The white walls were cracked and had holes in them. Some had fallen completely. Columns were missing pieces as they fell over the once organized area.

And he stood where he had first seen her, when she wandered into the garden. It was where he had caught her in his arms after so many painfully long years. When he once again looked into pools of brown as she opened his eyes. Squall swallowed and closed his eyes.

"There you are!" a voice boomed behind him. "So this is where you've been hiding out!" Squall let out a heavy breath as Seifer casually walked into the once glorious temple. "Have you been here all day? You're missing lunch-"

"She knows." Squall cut him off. Seifer stopped in his tracks and looked at him. He narrowed his eyes slightly.

"What?"

"Rinoa..." Squall repeated, her name rolling off his tongue like honey. "Rinoa knows what we are..."

Seifer paused for a second before the corners of his lips turned upwards. "Is that so? How'd she take it?"

"We haven't talked since I confirmed it this morning." the brunette replied.

"I thought you two were a bit quiet at breakfast..." Seifer trailed. Squall let out a growl and turned to look at him.

"Will you shut up!? Don't you realize that Rinoa is just a step away from realizing what she is? What's hidden inside of her!?" Squall growled. "She'll know what she had become. She'll know what she DID," He watched as Seifer's brow twitched. "She'll know what I did..." he trailed off.

"That was a different time," Seifer assured him, trying to sound rational. "She has a chance this time...a chance to avoid any of that."

Squall shook his head and leaned against a white washed column. "No...she can't deal with it," Squall replied. "Rinoa can't find out that she killed Quistis and Selphie. She'd never be able to handle it."

"But it wasn't HER who did it!" Seifer gasped. "You know that! I know that! Everyone knew that Rinoa was a victim just as much as Quistis and Selphie!"

"But it was still her body!" Squall gasped. "How can she possibly deal with knowing that her body was a tool to kill her best friends!?"

"Do you think she's too weak to handle it! She deserves the truth about this! We can't just hide it from her, Squall! She needs to deal with it!" Seifer snapped back angrily.

Squall slammed his fist against the wall. "Damn it, Seifer! I can barely handle it!" he growled loudly.

Seifer too a slight step back as he watched the former temple boy writhe in his own personal hell. Squall's shoulders heaved up and down as he tried to regain his normal breathing. Seifer slowly shook his head. "This isn't about you and your pain, Squall..." Seifer told him harshly, gaining him a dangerous glare from the blue eyed brunette. "This is about her. About saving her and giving her another chance. It's about avenging hundreds of lives! It's about avenging Quistis and Selphie... and Rinoa," Seifer paused. "It's about stopping it from happening again. You know that."

"I don't want her to feel pain..." Squall murmured.

"Then stop feeling sad for yourself and do your job." Seifer ordered, his voice full of authority.

At hearing his tone, Squall smirked slightly and looked up at the blond. "That's strange...you sound like a Prince again."

Seifer glared at him. "Shut up..."

"Seifer!" a female voice yelled into the temple. Seifer's face lit up immediately as he recognized the voice. Squall rolled hi eyes.

"You're like a dog waiting for it's master to come home." Squall told him.

"Have you found Squall yet!?" another female voice shouted. Seifer smirked back at Squall, who turned his head away and rubbed the back of his neck. A faint blush was on his cheeks.

"Yeah!" Seifer shouted. "He's in here!"

"Since you found him already," a voice said from the hall way. They turned their heads and saw Quistis appear with Rinoa not far behind her. "Then we can go."

Seifer grinned and walked over to Quistis. "Go? Go where, my dear?" he asked in a deep voice. Quistis raised an eyebrow.

"Back to the site we were working on," she stated. She looked over at Squall. "And Squall, don't disappear like that. We might need you if someone gets hurt."

"I'll be more visible next time." he informed her. Quistis nodded and began to head out. She was in the hallway already when she turned around to find Seifer standing there, pretending to be looking at something interesting on the wall.

She let out a tired sigh as Rinoa smiled slightly. "Seifer, are you coming or not?" she snapped, annoyed.

"Hmm?" Seifer turned to look at her. "Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't know you were still here." he told her calmly. Quistis rolled her eyes and turned around.

"Rinoa, Squall, I'll see you two at dinner." With that, she left the room. Seifer waited for her to back out and grab him, but she didn't return.

"Seifer...Quistis isn't coming," Rinoa sighed finally. "We all know that."

"She'll be back..." Seifer assured himself as he kept his eyes on the opening of the hall way. Rinoa and Squall exchanged glances.

"Seifer," Rinoa repeated again, a little louder this time. "Quistis isn't coming back. She's too focused on her research now. If you want to get her attention, you'll just have to do what you did before and barge in and annoy her."

"I am not annoying!" Seifer growled.

"She says you are." Rinoa replied. The tall blond and the short brunette locked eyes, as if trying to determine who was right. After a few seconds, Seifer headed towards the hall.

"Have fun with your love slave, Rinoa." Seifer shouted loudly as he left. Rinoa felt her entire body flush as Squall shouted something profane at Seifer, whose laughter could be heard echoing back at them.

"That bastard never shuts up..." Squall mumbled. He looked over at Rinoa, who smiled at him. She looked down quickly and he followed her gaze to the paper bag she was holding. Silently he looked back up at her and motioned to the bag.

"Oh!" she gasped, as if suddenly remembering. Smiling broadly, she walked over to him and lifted it up. "You missed lunch so I brought you hot dog. I didn't know what you wanted on it so I just put ketchup."

"Thanks..." Squall mumbled. He reached for the bag and took it from her before opening it up and pulling out a hot dog wrapped in foil.

"Uh...thanks for moving my tent this morning," Rinoa said suddenly. "I'm sorry I didn't get to thank you earlier...you disappeared before we could talk."

Squall nodded as he bit into his food. He sat down on the ground of the temple floor, his legs stretched out on to the dirt that had once held lush grass in the center of the temple. Rinoa stood behind him, watching his back move as he breathed. Was he ignoring her?

"Have a seat." Squall said, putting his hand down on the space to his left.

"Um...are you sure you're not busy?" Rinoa asked hesitantly. Squall nodded. Slowly, she walked closer to him and then sat down next to him. She felt goose bumps on her skin as she realized just how close she was the leather wearing man.

"You have questions, don't you?" Squall asked. "From this morning..."

Rinoa's eyes went wide, surprised that he had actually been the one to steer the conversation in that direction. "I..." she stammered. Her mouth suddenly went dry as she turned her head and stared at his chiseled profile. Her heart began to beat faster as her fingers coiled against her palms.

That morning, he had left her in a stupor. Her mind was racing with so many questions, she could barely get herself to function. Now that he asked her, none came to mind. Squall turned his head to look at her as he finished his hot dog. "I'll answer your questions." he assured her.

Rinoa nodded dumbly. "Squall..." she trailed off. Her eyes narrowed slightly. "Are you... are you serious?"

He took a deep breath. "Rinoa..." he began, trying to find the best words to describe what he was going to say. "The Chamber of the Dead..." he mumbled. "The bodies aren't missing. You know where they are."

"I do?" she asked, confused. She stared at him, studying his features intently. Her eyes followed his face down to his neck and down the heavy silver chain around his neck that ended with a... Her eyes went wide as she let out a gasp and covered her mouth. Panic filled her body as she looked back up at him.

The creature on his chest. It resembled the decorations on one particular tomb. The one that belonged to the temple boy.

Noticing the panic in her face, Squall frowned. "You're scared." he immediately assumed.

"No..." Rinoa whispered quietly, her eyes still showing a great deal of confusion and uncertainty. "Squall, you can't possibly be...no..." she assured herself. She shook her head and slowly reached out her hand. Warm, pale finger tips caressed his cleanly shaven face. He closed his eyes as he enjoyed the feeling of her skin against his. "You don't...LOOK dead.."

"I'm not dead, Rinoa..." Squall replied softly. His larger hands rose and cupped her smaller one. His icy eyes opened and looked over at her as he brought her hand to his lips and kissed her palm.

Her lower lip trembled as she felt the warmth of his breath against her skin. "You...you lied to me..." she whispered with a shaking voice. "You were in my tent before..."

"I'm sorry, I didn't know what to say-"

"Squall, WHO are you," Rinoa heard herself say. Squall's eyes locked with hers and saw the desperation in her eyes. She wanted to know. She NEEDED to know. "You weren't able to answer me before, Squall. Please...tell me who you are..."

Her voice was shaking, as if afraid of hearing what she would find out. Squall squinted his eyes slightly and kept her hand in his. "Do you really want to know?" Squall asked, unsure if he should tell her. Rinoa nodded.

"I'm so confused right now..." she gasped out nervously. "I need to know what's going on, Squall. Don't hide things from me...I'm having all these dreams all of a sudden..." She closed her eyes tightly as waves of scenes from a distant past flooded back to her. "I don't know what's going on..."

Her voice was filled with such frustration that it hurt. Rinoa bit her bottom lip as she struggled to keep her composure. She heard him shifting and then opened her eyes as his arms wrapped around her body. Her mind screamed at her, telling her that the man who had her in his arms had been laying in a casket, buried in a tomb under mountains of sand for centuries.

But her heart calmly reminded her that the man's heart was still beating against her chest as strong arms held her firmly against him. Squall gathered her up in his arms, her back against his chest as he cupped one hand in his. He felt Rinoa's head lean against his shoulder and could smell the scent of her shampoo once more.

A small hand went over his larger ones and he kissed the top of her head. "Several thousand years ago, there was a city in a sky called Centra. It's citizens were immortals... I was born to the owner of a tavern and a former soldier. When I was born, there was a raging storm outside and my mother named me Squall..."

* * *

"Oh, wow, look at all of this!" Selphie said as she looked over the tablets that were laid out across one of the large tables in the research tent. "Rinoa's been busy this morning."

"No kidding," Irvine agreed. Zell was left in the kitchen tent. Having been the last one to finish eating, he was assigned to kitchen duty. Irvine ran his hand against one of the cleaned tablets at were laid out in front of them. "Is she going to translate all of this?"

"Nope, I think Quisty is," Selphie said as she went to one of the back cabinets to dig out some more tools. "Rinoa might help, but Quisty will probably be translating it."

"It's not a lot..." Irvine said. "Just a few one sided tablets. In standard Centran, too..."

"Do you speak Centran, Irvy?" Selphie asked as she knelt down and pushed aside a box of brushes.

Irvine smiled slightly. "The...dialect I speak is no longer used," he grinned. His eyes roamed over the text on the tablets before glancing over a Selphie. He raised an eyebrow as he saw her on her hands and knees, looking into a large cabinet. "What are you looking for?"

"A roll of paper..." Selphie trailed off. "Anyway, do you think you can read what's on those tablets?" she asked jokingly.

Irvine caught her tone, but told her the truth. "Of course," he said. "Want me to read it?"

"Sure," Selphie giggled, not really believing him. "But I'll know if you're faking!" she added. "I've already read the first tablet's translations!"

Irvine chuckled and nodded. "All right," he said. He stood over the first tablet. "Where shall I start? Oh, here we go...straight to the action. _The Sorceress had taken over the body of a youthful girl, making it into nothing more than a shell for it's magic. At once, the girl's body's life ended, kept only from deteriorating by sheer magic alone..._," Irvine quoted. He shook his head. That Elle, she's so dramatic whenever she writes. Even in written records.

"How'd you know that!?" Selphie gasped as she stood up back, a roll of paper in her arms. Her emerald eyes were filled with curiosity. "Do you know ancient Centran!?"

ANCIENT Centran...? Irvine thought to himself. Well, if that doesn't make a man feel old... "Actually, Selphie, I do."

"Cool! Maybe you can help Quistis and Rinoa," Selphie smiled. "What else can you tell me?"

Irvine looked down at all the tablets. Many of them were cleaned off already and just waiting to be scanned. He walked over to the last tablet and ran his fingerless gloves across it. It was still caked with dust and sand. He narrowed his eyes slightly as his hand went across some letters. "These characters..." he said. "They're the names of the people who were mentioned in these tablets."

"Really?" Selphie asked. She walked over and looked over his arm. "Like their real names?"

"What they were called...in the tablets they were all just described by their occupation. The Prince, the guard, all that stuff," Irvine said. "But here are their actual names."

"What are their names?" Selphie asked, glancing up at him.

Irvine's eyes read the names and smiled slightly. He looked over at Selphie and shot her a seductive smile. "Well, it says that the pretty little merchant's daughter was named Selphie."

"Irvy!" Selphie sighed, disbelievingly as she rolled her eyes. Irvine chuckled and continued.

"And the damn hot janissary she had a thing for was named Irvine." he winked at her and Selphie let out a loud laugh.

"Irvy, you're so funny!" she laughed as she lopped her arm around his. "Come on," she said, handing him the roll of paper. "Let's get back to work before Quistis finds out we're slacking off."

Irvine chuckled and kept her arm looped in his. "Go ahead and take me away, Selphie. I'll go anywhere you want me to."

* * *

"They sealed my tomb," Squall whispered, all to painfully aware of Rinoa's shaking body in his arms as she cried against him. Despite her quiet sobs, he continued, knowing she didn't want him to stop. "And I rested for years...10 years ago, I was awakened."

Rinoa sniffled and tilted her head to look up at him. Tears were sliding down her soft face as she looked up at his blue eyes. "By...by WHO?" she stammered.

Squall lowered his head and kissed her eyes lightly as she closed them. He stroked her arms as she leaned heavily against him. "My father..." Squall mumbled. He closed his eyes and rested his head against hers. "He was in charge of making sure that we awoke when the time was right. He came to wake me, Irvine, and Zell up. We would return the night you thought you saw 'grave robbers' to awaken Raijin, Fujin, and Seifer."

Rinoa's arms were wrapped around Squall's upper body, underneath his leather jacket. She sat between his legs, her own legs curled beneath her as she buried her face in his chest. "It was you..." she whispered softly. "You caught me when I fell..."

"I stayed with you," Squall added, his hands going up and down her body slowly. "I stayed with you until I heard Quistis yelling for you."

"I'm sorry, Squall..." Rinoa choked out. Her eyes were puffy as tears continued to come down. She tilted her head to look up at him. "I'm sorry you hurt so much...I made you hurt..."

"No...shh..." Squall cooed as he pulled her head back against the crook of his neck.

Her fingers dug into his T-shirt as her warm body pressed against his. "What's going to happen...?" she whispered. "Will it happen again?"

"No," Squall told her sternly. He pulled her closer and seemed to rock her body gently against his. "I won't loose you again, Rinoa...I..." he took a deep breath. His hands were clamped around her shoulders tightly, almost as if afraid that she would be ripped from him. "I can't live another life time without you." he asserted.

Rinoa closed her eyes. "Where is the sorceress then?"

Squall felt his heart clench in his chest. He had told Rinoa the entire story. How they met, who they were, the sorceress that possessed her, and how she ended up there. He had left out two important parts: Selphie and Quistis' deaths and where Ultimecia was currently 'resting'.

He swallowed, unable to tell her the truth. "I...I don't know," he told her, trying to sound as convincing as possible. He shook his head slightly and kissed her head once more. "No matter what happens, Rinoa... you'll be safe. I promise."

* * *

Seifer kicked the dirt in front of him and frowned. He had been wandering around for the last hour and had just come back from the market where he and Quistis had been working earlier. She should've been there. Shaking his head, he headed back to the temple to ask Rinoa or Squall, providing they were still there, if Quistis had come back.

As he turned the corner, he stopped. Quistis was leaning against the a column, her eyes staring straight ahead, a glassy look over beautiful blue eyes. Smiling, Seifer approached her, about to let her know of his presence when he watched her remove her wire frame glasses. She lifted up her free and wiped her eyes with the back of her hand and the cuff of her sleeve.

She was crying, he realized. Picking up speed, he quickly made his way over to her. Quistis heard the shuffling of feet and looked up to see Seifer walking down the path, a concerned look on his face. She swallowed and quickly put her glasses back on, trying to act as if nothing had happened.

"Quisty, where have you been?" Seifer asked as he reached her. "I've been wandering around looking for you!"

"I'm fine, Seifer," Quistis said, frowning as she heard her voice shake. She straightened herself up and tried to walk past him. "Let's get back to work-"

"Quistis," Seifer said sternly as his hand grabbed her arm. It immediately stopped her from getting further and she was forced to turn around. Her rich blue eyes looked into his green ones with a blank stare. "Quistis...what's wrong?"

"Nothing," she shrugged, turning her head away from his. "Everything is fine."

"Everything is not fine," Seifer snapped as he pulled her closer to study her face. "Where were you?"

"No where, I -"

"Quistis, don't lie to me," Seifer warned in a low voice. "Where were you?"

She kept her eyes locked on him as they narrowed. "I was in the temple hall."

* * *

Squall laid next to Rinoa, gently stroking her hair as her head laid against his arm. They were laying on the floor of the temple, looking up at the sky through the fallen rough and watching the stairs appear in an inky darkness above. Rinoa wanted to stay like that forever, lost in his arms, feeling his breath against her skin and his steady heart against her.

Everything was perfect. And then...GRUMBLE. Her face went red as Squall tilted his head and looked down at her, amusement evident in his eyes. "Hungry?" he asked softly.

"We've been here since forever," she giggled sheepishly. "Maybe we should go up for dinner?"

He nodded and they began to stand up. Rinoa brushed off her clothes as Squall stretched a little. Within a few minutes they stood up and headed out towards the temple. Upon stepping out, they saw Seifer sitting against a fallen piece of stone across from them. He was slumped forward, his eyes glazed over as he looked at the ground.

Rinoa tugged on Squall's jacket sleeve to direct his attention over to the blond man. Squall's eyes narrowed. "Seifer." he called out in a low voice. Slowly, the other man raised his head and looked up at them. Rinoa frowned.

"Seifer, what's wrong?" Rinoa asked. She attempted to smile slightly. "Quistis try to get rid of you again?" she asked, trying to ease the tension.

Seifer shook his head. "Something's up with her," Seifer mumbled. "I don't know what."

"What are you talking about?" Rinoa asked. "She seemed fine earlier."

Seifer stood up and dusted his pants as he looked at the dark haired couple. "I saw her earlier against the temple doors..." he trailed off. His eyes squinted slightly, as if pained to remember what he had seen. "She was crying."

"Crying!?" Rinoa gasped. She instantly let go of Squall's arm. "Where is she, Seifer? I should go talk to her!"

Seifer shook his head and looked at her confused. "I don't know," he admitted. "I tired to talk to her, but she threw my arm down and ran off. I have no idea where she could be."

"Hyne...I better go find her before it gets too late!" Rinoa said as she began to run towards the inner city.

"Rinoa, wait!" Squall called out. "You shouldn't go by yourself-"

"I'll be fine!" she assured him. She turned around as she gave him a slight wave. "I'll find Quisty! We'll meet you two at the camp!"

Without another word, she turned the corner and ran off. Squall let out a heavy sigh and shook his head. Seifer was looking at Squall, as if trying to study him. The brunette frowned. "What?" he snapped.

Seifer let out a heavy breath. "What were you two talking about in there?" he asked. Squall raised an eyebrow and looked back at him.

"Why does it matter?" Squall asked slightly.

Seifer looked over his shoulder, as if to see if anyone else was there. He turned back to Squall. "Quistis was inside one of the halls," Seifer told him. He watched as Squall's eyes dilated. "I think she heard what you two were talking about."

Squall's eyebrows furrowed as he shook his head. "Then she knows, too..."

"Knows WHAT?" Seifer asked, his voice demanding. Squall narrowed his eyes as he locked gazes with the green eyed blond.

"What we are. What they are...and the ring..." Squall mumbled. "The ring that sealed Ultimecia away within Rinoa."

Seifer closed his eyes and ran his hand down his face. "This can't be happening..."

"I have to find Rinoa," Squall said as he began to head in the direction where Rinoa had run off to. "I have to tell her that Quistis knows!"

"I have to talk to Quistis..." Seifer agreed, following Squall eager. "Hyne, I can't let her go through this alone!"

* * *

Quistis stared at crumbled remains of the merchant's shop. Selphie's aunt and uncle's shop. She sat in the corner, where she had sat for hours on end millennia before, talking to Rinoa and Selphie. Where she had hidden behind some large vases whenever Seifer dropped by to visit.

Now, it was nothing more than a fallen piece of stone. The vases were replaced with shards of ceramics that littered the floor. It was nothing more than shadows of distant memories. Memories that flooded her senses little by little every night. Memories she couldn't comprehend. Until that afternoon...

_ Quistis leaned against the wall of the temple's hall, across from where she had exited. She watched from her shadowed space as Seifer stomped off in search of her. She smiled to herself, satisfied. She was going to turn around and head back to the dig site, hoping to get there before Seifer could, when she began to over hear Squall and Rinoa's conversation._

"I'm so confused right now...I need to know what's going on, Squall. Don't hide things from me...I'm having all these dreams all of a sudden..." she heard Rinoa stammer out. concerned, Quistis opted to stay, hoping to find out what was bothering her friend. That and hoping to find out an answer to her own questions. She'd been having dreams as well.

"Do you really want to know?" Squall's deep, unsure voice asked.

As Rinoa answered, Quistis nodded her head. Slowly, a surreal dream was woven in front of her, gluing together bits and pieces of dreams that had been plaguing her since her first night there. But the question that remained was 'why?'.

"The ring you're wearing..." Squall said slowly as he raised his hand and slowly ran his finger tips down the length of Rinoa's chain until they touched the silver ring. "It was mine. When I found out that you were born under a bad star, I had the ring blessed. It was supposed to seal away any evil that entered your body. But when it actually happened, the ring was over-whelmed. All it could do was weaken the evil momentarily."

"I had my first dream that night," Rinoa whispered softly as she looked over at Squall. "When I found this ring...here in the temple."

Squall nodded slightly. "The ring triggers your memories," Squall said. "It must be a side effect of the blessing." 

Quistis closed her eyes and leaned forward, bringing her knees up to her chest. Her eyes watered as she shook her head. She hadn't told Rinoa, even when she saw the ring hanging on Rinoa's necklace. She couldn't tell the others, they would've thought that she was insane. Yet, it made so much sense now why she had those dreams suddenly.

"Quistis!" a voice shouted. The blonde's head perked up. "Quistis, are you in here!?"

"Rinoa..."

* * *

"You never told her!?" Seifer growled as they ran up the street. "Why not!?"

"What was that supposed to do!? How could I possibly tell her what the ring carried with it?" Squall replied as they ran up an ancient set of stairs. Seifer swore.

"That ring was on Ultimecia when you killed her," Seifer hissed. "That ring was entombed with you in that niche in your tomb lid. HOW did Rinoa find it in the temple!?"

"I don't know," Squall said. "Maybe one of the other volunteers found it and moved it."

"That means there might be someone else out there who might have part of Ultimecia in her!" Seifer shouted.

"The chances are still slim," Squall stated. "They must've been or are an immortal in order for Ultimecia to inhabit them."

"But if someone else has her in them, then what about Rinoa?"

"Rinoa has the ring itself," Squall stated. "Part of her is in that ring. If the person who found it first in my tomb gets the ring from Rinoa, that sorceress will be let loose!"

"Wait!" Seifer stopped and froze. Squall turned around and looked at the blond.

"What?" Squall snapped.

Seifer swallowed nervously. "What if Quistis found it?" he stammered. He looked up at Squall. "Quistis was spear heading the tomb clean up when they started...what if she found the ring?"

Squall narrowed his eyes. "Then it's not Rinoa we have to worry about."

* * *

"Quistis?" Rinoa's quiet voice asked. She saw the blond sitting in the corner, hugging her knees. She frowned. "What's wrong?"

Quistis looked up, smiling weakly as she shook her head. "Nothing..." she whispered. "I'm fine."

"No you're not," Rinoa said sternly as she frowned. She rushed over to Quistis and knelt down beside her. "Something's wrong, Quisty, what's going on?"

"I'm fine-"

"Stop lying!" Rinoa insisted, keeping Quistis' blue eyes on her brown ones. "Seifer's worried about you and said you were crying. What's wrong?"

Quistis swallowed as her eyes followed the silver around Rinoa's neck. "Rinoa...I found that ring on Squall's tomb."

"What?" Rinoa gasped. She shook her head. "Quistis, what are you talk-"

"I heard you and Squall talking in the temple," Quistis admitted. "You found that ring in the temple," Quistis said, staring at the dangling piece of silver. "But I found it a few days earlier in the Chamber of the Dead. On Squall's tomb lid."

Rinoa's eyes narrowed as she slumped down next to Quistis. "So then...you know?"

Quistis nodded. "I know...I heard," she said. "I've been..." she took a deep breath. "I've been having dreams, too..."

Rinoa's eyes went wide as her head perked up. "Of what!? What did you see in them?"

"I don't know how to describe it!" Quistis admitted as she shook her head. "It's dark...it's always so dark. There's a lot of dark haze and I could see fire...it was chaos, Rinoa...absolute chaos."

"My dreams haven't had that..." Rinoa whispered.

"But Squall said that they are supposed to be your memories," Quistis whispered back. Her eyes squinted. "Rinoa, these memories AREN'T mine," she stressed, shaking her head. "I know for sure...something's telling me that what I'm seeing aren't my memories, they're someone else's."

"You said it was dark and chaotic?" Rinoa asked. Quistis nodded slightly. Rinoa narrowed her eyes. "They must be HERS."

"The sorceress?" Quistis asked, putting the two pieces together. Rinoa nodded slightly.

"What else could it be...?" Rinoa whispered. "But I don't understand WHY you have HER memories..."

"You only have your own?" Quistis asked. Rinoa nodded.

"From what I could remember, yes."

Quistis paused for a moment and turned her eyes back to Rinoa's ring. "Rin..." she said nervously. "The last time I wore that ring, I had a flood of memories. None I could discern, but I knew they were memories." Rinoa nodded.

"How did it end up in the temple?" Rinoa asked.

Quistis closed her eyes. "I put it on and then the memories hit. A little afterwards, I couldn't take it. I grabbed the ring and just threw it. I didn't know where it landed."

"In the temple..." Rinoa concluded. She looked up at Quistis. "Do you...want to try it again?" she asked, reluctantly.

Quistis stared at the piece of metal hesitantly, but slowly nodded. "I need to know what's going on as well, Rinoa..."

The young brunette nodded and reached up behind her neck. She unclasped her necklace and slowly pulled the ring off. She clasped her necklace back and held the ring out to Quistis. "Here goes nothing."

Quistis nodded and took the ring, slipping it on to her finger. A yell came from the store front and Quistis and Rinoa turned to see Squall and Seifer rushing in. "Quistis, no!"

* * *

_ "What are you going to do with that ring now?" Zell asked as Squall looked over the winged lion engraved on to the silver ring._

"It needs to be safe..." Squall said. "The next time she wears this ring, Ultimecia will join with her again."

"I don't get it," Irvine added. He was sitting against a crumbed piece of stone staircase. "The ring is a seal or what?"

"Weren't you listening?" Zell sighed.

"I don't know, were you?" Irvine retorted.

The two of them stared at each other. Seifer rolled his eyes. "The ring is a seal. Inside Rinoa's body, when she will be reborn, is part of Ultimecia. Inside this ring is part of Ultimecia. When Rinoa finds it and wears it again, Ultimecia will join together and then one day come out."

"But she'll take over Rinoa again..." Zell trailed off.

"But this time we can save her," Squall said in a low voice. "This time her body will be alive and not merely a dead puppet."

"What if someone else finds the ring?" Irvine asked. "Like...what if finds it before Rinoa does?"

"The part of Ultimecia in the ring will join with that person," Squall mumbled. "But as long as Rinoa and that person don't meet, Ultimecia won't come together...the hard part is, the parts will find a way to find each other."

"And the ring?" Irvine continued.

"If Rinoa gets the ring after the it has been found, Ultimecia in Rinoa's body will be sucked into the ring and then the two parts of the sorceress will seek each other out. Either Rinoa will get the Ultimecia or the other person will get her," Seifer explained. "The question is who will be possessed next?"

"It needs to be kept safe for now," Squall said. He straightened himself up from where he was leaning. "I'll have it buried with my tomb."

"Speaking of tomb," Zell said as he looked up at the sun in the sky. "We better get going. By midnight, this place will be swallowed up by desert."

"Fujin and Raijin are already asleep?" Irvine asked.

"They have been since yesterday," Seifer said. "Whose supposed to wake us up?"

"Laguna's waking us three up," Irvine explained as the four of them headed down the stone streets of the fallen city as winds blew in sand from all sides. "Then we'll wake you, your cousin, and her husband up."

"Sis is putting us to rest," Squall said. They approached the building centered in the city and a young woman in teal robes met them at the door. "Sis...here is the ring."

She nodded. "Get into your tombs," she said softly. The four obeyed and each slipped into a stone sarcophagus. "Good night. I will see you in a few centuries."

Squall laid in his tomb, staring at the ceiling as he heard his sister's smooth voice caress their ears. His eyes fell heavy as he heard the grinding of stone against stone as the lid of his tomb enclosed him in darkness. His last thoughts were of her.

Ellone placed her brother's ring into a small niche at the top of the lid. With a final prayer, she left the chambers, watching with deep regret as the servants sealed them within. In the distance, thunder sounded and she closed her eyes.

Heavy drops of rain began to fall from the sky. "Mistress," one of the servants said. "It is time to leave. The desert will swallow the city soon."

She nodded allowed herself to be lifted up on to the back of a white chocobo. Within seconds, she was speeding away, watching the immortal city as it was swallowed by the earth as the skies that once held it in it's greatness cried for it's loss. 


	11. Rebirth

**Mythology**  
_Chapter Eleven: Rebirth_  
By PasifiKStaR

**Author's Note**: I'm sorry I took so long! I'm sorry I've been so tired lately and I've just bee completely drained. I'm really sorry! I'm REALLY sorry! I have not lost interest in ANY of the fics! I will finish them ALL! Except maybe 'Drifted' because that's a pointless, plotless story. Anyway, I'm sorry for taking so long!

All Standard Disclaimers Apply: I do not own Final Fantasy.

* * *

"What?" Quistis looked up as she slipped the silver ring on to her right hand's ring finger. She frowned as Squall and Seifer rushed into the fallen old shop, sending dust and sand everywhere. Rinoa's eyes went wide as she lifted her hand to shield herself from the flying dust.

"What are you two doing-" she began, but Seifer cut her off.

His green eyes landed directly on Quistis. "Quistis, take off the ring!" he snapped quickly. "Now! Take it off!"

"What!?" Quistis growled. Her blue eyes narrowed into slits as she stood up straight and glared at Seifer. "Don't tell me what to do-"

"Quistis, now's not the time to be a feminist!" Seifer nearly shouted as Rinoa slowly stood up between them.

"Seifer, what's wrong?" Rinoa asked calmly. "What's the problem-"

"The problem is that-" Seifer began, but Squall clamped his hand on the blonde's shoulder. Seifer whirled his head around and saw Squall shake his head. Ice blue eyes were narrowed and looking directly at the ring still placed on Quistis' slender finger.

"Never mind," Squall stated. "It's nothing."

Seifer narrowed his eyes slightly and turned back to look at the ring. Quistis followed their eyes to her hand and slowly closed her other hand around it. She brought both to her chest and looked at them suspiciously.

"What's wrong with the ring?" Quistis asked quietly.

"Nothing's wrong with it..." Squall said. He took a deep breath and shook his head. "You know that it's my ring," He mumbled, his gaze lifting to meet Quistis'. She nodded slightly. "May I have it back?" Slowly, he extended his open palm towards Quistis.

Quistis looked over to Rinoa. The other young woman's eyes met hers and gave a slight nod. Reluctantly, Quistis removed the silver ring from her finger and placed it back into Squall's hand. His fingers immediately wrapped around it and he slipped it into his pocket.

"Quisty," Seifer said, putting himself between Quistis and Squall. She turned to look up at him questioningly. "You over heard them...?" he asked slowly, although he already knew the answer. The female blond closed her eyes and nodded slightly. Seifer's head dropped as he let out a heavy sigh. He swallowed nervously and took a step closer. "Thank Hyne..."

His arms wrapped around her narrow shoulders and Quistis' eyes went wide. She lifted her head slightly as she felt his clean shaven face run along the sides of her head, messing with the position of her golden bangs. She could feel his heart beating rapidly against her as he seemed to envelope her for eternity. "Seifer..."

"Just shut up for a moment and let me hold you." Seifer snapped, slightly annoyed. Behind him, Rinoa cracked a small smile and turned to Squall. His eyes were down cast and she gently tugged on his jacket sleeve. Quietly, he turned his head towards her and she motioned to the remnants of the door.

Squall gave a small nod and allowed the petite brunette to lead him away. Back inside the room, Quistis gently tried to push herself off of Seifer, but found that he wouldn't allow her to. "Sei...Seifer..." Quistis whispered quietly. "Please...let go..."

"No," Seifer stated sternly, almost desperately. He closed his eyes. "I let go all those years ago and I lost you. I'm not letting go again."

Quistis felt her heart skip a beat. His words were filled with such conviction and she could almost feel his emotions blanketing over her. "So it's true...?"

Seifer nodded slightly, his head rubbing against hers. "I don't know how much you heard..." he mumbled against her head. "But It's all true."

Quistis closed her eyes and pushed against him once more. "Seifer...please..." she told him softly. He felt her straining against him and he reluctantly loosened his hold. She was now trapped at arms length from him. Her blue eyes were down cast as she searched for the words to say.

"Is it...THAT hard to believe?" he asked. His heart began to beat quicker in anticipation. Part of him wondered if she would reject him and tell him that she didn't want to be with him, regardless of the knowledge she now carried. He could almost feel the beads of sweat trickling down the side of his head as her elegant face rose to meet his expectant one.

"I just need some time," she finally said. Seifer felt his heart stop as he closed his eyes. His hands froze against her shoulders. "I just need time to sort it all out..."

Seifer bit his lower lip and turned his head away. "What's there to sort out?" he asked, almost snapping at her. "You know everything-"

"Then I need the time to let it all sink in," She told him. His eyes rose to meet hers and her heart stopped as she saw the fear bubbling in their emerald depths. Was he afraid? Of WHAT? Then the reality hit her. Her lower lip trembled as she lifted up one hand and gently caressed the side of his face. "Seifer, I'm not going to leave you..." she gasped out.

"Wh...what?" he stammered. Seifer's face contorted in confusion as he stared back at her.

Quistis smiled weakly and cupped his face in her smooth, warm hands. Slowly, they ran through his set back hair, running the tips of her nails gently against his scalp. "Seifer...I'm not going to just leave you. I just want time to let it sink in."

"I just want to know..." Seifer began. His eyes squinted as he struggled to find the correct words. For the life of him, he couldn't find the words to express what he wanted to know. His tongue stumbled over various syllables before he finally shook his head.

She felt his breath momentarily sear her face before strong lips were planted on hers. Her breath slipped out of her mouth just as he sealed his mouth against hers. An overwhelming sensation coursed through her body as he seemed to focus all his energy on her. She could feel his body against hers, holding her close. She felt her heart skip a beat as her blue eyes fluttered closed.

He felt her hands fall from his head to the area around his shoulders. They snaked around his broad shoulders and met behind his neck. He felt her lean upwards to meet his kiss rather than hide from it. That was her answer to his question and a wave of relief washed over him.

* * *

Squall was walking quickly, his mind lost in a haze of questions. He was sure that Quistis should've immediately turned into Ultimecia. At least, that's what he had always thought. His eyes were down cast as he walked.

"Squall?" a voice piped behind him. Squall didn't hear anything. His mind was still trying to comprehend all the scenarios possible. "Squall!" A small hand grabbed on to his jacket sleeved and tugged hard enough to jerk him back. He turned and saw Rinoa looking up at him with a questioning look.

"Yeah?"

"Are you okay?" she asked, worried. "You haven't said anything the entire way..." she trailed off and Squall looked past her to the path way they were walking on. They were almost to the camp and at the bottom of the path were the ruins. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong," Squall mumbled. He offered her a weak smile. "Don't worry."

"No, something's wrong," Rinoa persisted, her brown eyes reading his usually stoic face as best as she could. "What's wrong? Tell me."

Squall let out a heavy sigh and ran his right hand through his thick hair. "Nothing is wrong, Rinoa," he insisted sternly. "Don't worry about it."

"If nothing is wrong then why did you and Seifer come running into that old shop yelling for Quistis to stop," Rinoa asked. Her eyes narrowed as her mind began to make numerous mental connections. "What's with the ring? Why were you so against Quistis wearing it?"

Squall took a deep breath. "I don't know what the side effects will be if Quistis wears a ring that was meant to contain a sorceress," he told her. Rinoa's eyebrows furrowed. "Something might have happened. What if she released the sorceress?"

Rinoa's eyes dropped slightly and she nodded. "I see...so...what are you going to do with the ring now?" she asked quietly.

Squall took a deep breath. "For now I'll keep it."

"What are we going to do?" Rinoa asked softly. Squall's blue eyes refocused on hers. "She's going to come, isn't she? It's not if, it's a matter of when..."

"I don't know, Rinoa," Squall told her tiredly. "It's late," He mumbled. "Why don't we go get something to eat and-"

"I don't WANT to get something to eat!" Rinoa shouted, making Squall jerk his head back in surprise. Her eyes were rimmed with clear tears as she stood there, shaking. "Squall, I have no idea what's going on any more, but I know something is going to happen! Something BAD," she insisted. Her eyes narrowed. "That's why you were woken up, right? To stop something from happening? To stop HER? How are you going to do that?"

Squall stared at her, unsure of what to say. He took a deep breath. "I don't know, Rinoa..." he answered softly. Rinoa bit her lower lip. "I'm sorry..." he told her. "I wish I knew, but Hyne, Rinoa, none of us are sure how to stop her. The last time I had to..." his voice trailed off as a pain washed over his face.

Rinoa nodded understandingly. "I know..." she replied in a quiet voice. "You had to kill my body."

"I don't want to have to do it again, Rinoa..." Squall insisted. "But we will find a way to save you this time."

"It's not just me, though..." Rinoa mumbled. "It's Quistis, too, isn't it? She told me she found the ring first."

Squall closed his eyes slightly and nodded. A cool night wind blew past them and Squall tilted his head back and looked up at the stars silently. Rinoa slowly followed his gaze to the clear night sky that was speckled with thousands of diamond stars. "Whenever I was lost, I'd try to look at the stars to guide me..." Squall mumbled. "But now nothing makes sense..."

"Is it that nothing makes sense or is it that nothing can yet be made sense of?" Rinoa asked quietly. She looked back at Squall before walking past him in silence. She paused a few steps from him, her back still turned to him. "Don't hide anything else from me, Squall," Rinoa said. "I need to know before it's too late."

He listened to her foot steps fade in the background. He could make out the faint shouts of welcome from Selphie, Zell, and Irvine as Rinoa arrived back at the camp.

* * *

Rinoa sat in the research tent, finishing up the last tablet of the night. It was about four in the morning and she couldn't sleep. She had spent a good thirty minutes in bed, shifting and kicking off her blanket before she got up and decided to do some work.

The camp was almost silent. She could hear loud snoring from Irvine's tent and heavy breathing from Zell's. Squall's tent was silent as she passed it. Rinoa was wearing a pair of light blue, cotton, draw string shorts with her name in white letters on her bottom, plus a matching tank top. She tugged on a dark blue button up cotton work shirt and slipped into some flip flops before heading out of her tent.

For the last three hours, she had been in the research tent, cleaning off some tablets and scanning them. Her diligent work had given her one finished tablet and another tablet ready for scanning. As she put her brush aside, next to the tablet, she let out a yawn. Tired brown eyes looked over the engraved writing.

As she stared at it, she blinked her heavy eyes. For a second, she could almost read them. Her knowledge of ancient Centran was very limited and as she sat there, it seemed to get better. Rinoa lifted her hand and gently rubbed her temples. Okay...I think it's about time for me to go to bed... she thought to herself. She took a deep breath and began to shut down the computer. She lifted her hand over the mouse and froze.

Her eyes landed on the script in front of her of the tablet that she had just scanned. She could feel her heart starting to quicken in her chest as she began to read the text flawlessly. She never stumbled over any of the words and felt as if she were reading them as if she were reading the language she had used all her life.

Her mouth grew dry as she sat there, her eyes fastened to the screen. She found herself unable to tear herself away from it as each word engraved themselves in her mind.

_ Her hand reached forth and cut the life from two life long friends. The future queen and the shop keeper's niece fell to the ground, their bodies limp and void of energy as empty eyes looked back at the imposing sorceress above them, as if asking her why she had killed them. And while the sorceress laughed and said that the general's daughter was now dead, tears streamed down her face. The general's daughter's body was dead, but now her soul was trapped. _

* * *

"Trapped..." Rinoa's breath slipped through her thin pink lips unconsciously. Her closed eyes let warm, salty tears escape the corners of her eyes. She winced as she felt her body being shaken from her shoulders.

"Rinny?" a quiet voice asked reluctantly. "Rin? Are you awake?"

I know that voice... Rinoa's mind told her. Slowly, she blinked her eyes open and saw two large green orbs staring back at her. "Ah!"

"AH!" Selphie jumped back, almost falling on her butt as Rinoa jerked herself up. "Rinoa!"

"Selphie..." Rinoa gasped out. She was breathing deeply and didn't even realize it. She turned her head and looked around the room. The sun was up. It was probably an hour or two past sun rise at the most. She was sitting up straight on her chair. "The tablet..." she mumbled. She whirled around to the monitor and narrowed her eyes.

"Rinoa?" Selphie asked, confused. "Are you okay?" the petite brunette asked quietly.

Rinoa's narrowed eyes surveyed the computer before her. The screen was blank and the monitor shut off. "What the..." she murmured. Her hand went down to the tower and found that it had been shut down as well. "I could've swore that I left this on..." She turned to look at Selphie. "Selphie, did you turn this off?"

"Nope, I just got here," Selphie told her. "I heard mumbling when I was going to the bathroom and so I came in. You were passed out on the keyboard."

"Oh..." Rinoa mumbled. She rubbed her head and ran her hand through her hair. "I must've fallen asleep when I was working on the tablets last night..."

"How long were you up?" Selphie asked as she leaned over and studied Rinoa's face. "You look tired."

"I don't know..." Rinoa shrugged. "Late, I guess. I couldn't get to sleep so I worked on the tablets."

"That's great, but if Quistis found out that you're working yourself ragged again..." Selphie trailed off. Rinoa chuckled slightly and nodded.

"I know..." she sighed. She stood up and pushed her chair underneath the desk. "I'm going to head over to my tent and grab a towel. I'll hit the showers before breakfast."

"Are you sure you don't want to keep sleeping?" Selphie asked quietly. "I mean...you like kind of tired."

"Rough night," Rinoa shrugged. She stretched her arms out and walked past Selphie. "I'll see you at breakfast!"

"Okay!" Selphie piped. She exited the tent after Rinoa and headed for the showers. In the meantime, Rinoa walked up the pathway to her tent. She silently wished that they didn't have to move her tent so far away. Yawning, she tugged her shirt around her tighter as she reached her tent.

She zipped the door open and stepped in. As she turned around to look into her tent, part of her expected to see Squall sitting there. Or looming somewhere in the dark corners of her tent. She let out a groan as she realized she was disappointed to find him no where in her tent.

I saw him less than twelve hours ago... her mind scolded as she headed for her chest to pull out some clothes and a towel. She pulled out a blue towel and tossed it on her bed. She stopped and stared at it. The shade reminded her of his eyes.

She closed her eyes and could almost feel his heavy arms wrap around her slim shoulders as his subtle cologne flooded her senses. She allowed herself to fall into the feeling as she let out a heavy sigh. "Good morning..." a voice whispered in her ear.

Great...now I'm hearing him, too... she thought to herself pitifully. "Good morning..."

"You were up late last night," she heard him tell her. "Perhaps you should get back to bed."

"No, I'll be fine..." she murmured. She tilted her head to the side as she felt two lips caress the side of her neck. Her heart skipped a beat as a warm breath blew across her ear, sending shivers through her body. "I really should stop day dreaming..."

She heard him chuckle and slowly let go. "Or you should get some sleep," he told her. "I'll wake you up at lunch."

"Hmm?" Rinoa's eyes flew open and she turned her head. Squall's back was to her as he unzipped the tent and her mouth dropped. She felt her face flood with a furious blush as she realized she wasn't hallucinating. "Squall?"

"Get some rest," he said. He turned to look at her offering her a weak smile. "You've had a rough night."

Rinoa nodded slightly. "Right...a rough...night..." her words slipped past her lips and she narrowed her eyes. "Wait, Squall!" She took a step forward, extending her hand as if to stop him, but he zipped her tent closed. "Squall!" She stopped and frowned, lowering her hand to her side. "How do you know about my night...?"

* * *

Squall barely heard Rinoa's calls as he left her tent. He headed towards the research tent and slowed down when he heard voices from inside. "Rinoa must've been working on them last night..." he heard Quistis tell someone. "She got a lot done, though. I just wish she wasn't working so hard."

"Don't worry, she'll be fine, Quisty," Seifer replied. "Are you sure you're okay?"

"I told you, I'm fine," Quistis insisted. It was at that moment that Squall stepped into the tent. Quistis looked over Seifer's shoulder and saw the brunette standing at the door way. "Squall will vouch for me. I'm completely healthy."

Squall raised an eyebrow. He looked over at Seifer who shrugged. "I'm sure you are. But just incase, stay where we can find you."

Quistis nodded. "By the way, do you know if Rinoa was the one working her last night?"

Squall nodded. "She fell asleep on the keyboard," he told her. "I think she couldn't sleep so she went to do some work."

Quistis let out a heavy sigh. "Next time, stop her, Squall," she told him tiredly as she grabbed her things and walked past him. "You know she's still stressed out."

"Speak for yourself, Quistis," Seifer said as he followed her out. "You should be taking a rest as well."

"Seifer, I told you, I'm fine!" Quistis told him. She whirled around and threw her arms up in the air. "See? I'm not tired! I'm completely..." As her arms fell to her sides, she suddenly dropped her tools.

"Quistis?" Seifer asked, taking a step forward warily.

Squall came out of the tent just as Quistis narrowed her eyes and lifted her hand to her head. She began to sway. Quistis took a deep breath as her body turned to heated mush. "Completely..." she breathed. Her eyes rolled back. "Fine..."

"Quistis!" Seifer shouted as he darted forward and caught the young blond in his arms. "Quistis! Quistis!"

"Get her to her tent!" Squall said as he ran back into the research tent. "I'll meet you there with my things!"

"What's going on!?" a voice shrieked from down the path. Seifer ignored the voice as he picked up Quistis and began to rush towards her tent.

Selphie was dashing madly up the path way, her hair still damp from her shower. "Selphie! Go get some water and some towels!" Squall ordered as he ran out of the research tent clutching a black bag at his side.

"What happened to Quistis!?" Selphie screamed, horrified and assuming the worse.

"She fainted!" Squall shouted over his shoulder. "Now get those things!"

Selphie snapped out of her trance and nodded as she ran up to the cafeteria tent. "IRVY! ZELL!! I NEED WATER!!"

* * *

_ Where am I? She turned her head and frowned as she heard the echo of her movement cut through the air. She did it once more and looked to her other side. It's so dark... Her blue eyes squinted in the darkness, trying to get adjusted but failing. She lifted her hands in front of her. She knew they were there, but she couldn't see them._

Carefully, she took a step forward and felt solid ground beneath her. "Hello!?" she screamed into the darkness. "Is anyone there!?"

Slowly, she walked in a little circle, trying to look around all her surroundings. As she peered into the darkness, she saw a halo of light behind her. Gasping, she whirled around and winced at the sudden brightness that flooded her eyes. Her arms rose to shield her pale face as the white light that appeared in front of her seemed to dim. She took one cautious step back as a hazy shadow appeared in the center of the light.

"You are not the gifted one." a bland voice stated coolly.

"Who are you?" Quistis gasped as she blinked and tired to focus on the hazy shadow. She could barely make out the shape and so she assumed that whoever was floating in front of her was female.

Without warning, the shadow flew out from her place and came face to face with Quistis. The young woman gasped as she peered into the endless depths of glowing eyes floating in a pool of smoking black haze. "You must've tampered with it..."

"What are you talking about!?" Quistis gasped as the figure withdrew just as quickly as it zoomed forward. Quistis could feel her heart beating rapidly in her chest as she was circled like she was the prey for some wild cat. "Who are you!?"

"You tampered with the seal, didn't you!?" the shadow hissed viciously. The glowing eyes narrowed as Quistis shook her head. "The seal! You did something to it! You are not the host I wanted!"

"Host?" Quistis gasped. "What-"

"Where is she!?" the shadow zoomed forward once more, coming face to face with Quistis. "Where is the gifted girl!?"

"Gifted...?" Quistis stammered. Her eyes narrowed as she grew annoyed with being the one who was kept in the dark. "What are you talking about!? Who is this gifted girl!? Who are YOU!?"

The shadow let out a low growl as it studied Quistis. "You know her..." came a raspy, highly annoyed voice. Clawed hands that smoked with black haze waved over Quistis' head. "I could see her in your mind!"

"My mind!?" Quistis gasped. She took a step back and whirled around. "You're insane-ah!" She nearly fell back as she lifted her head and came face to face with the creature once more.

"You know who I am..." the voice rasped. "Don't you remember?" It taunted. "Don't you remember ME?"

Quistis shook her head from side to side. "No! No, I don't know who you are!"

The creature before her gave out a hearty laugh as it's smoky arm suddenly solidified as it shot forward and grabbed on to Quistis' slender pale neck. The blond gasped for air as her eyes went wide. Her hands rose to try to grab on to the attacker's arm, but found that there was nothing there for her to grab.

Quistis' face was forced to look up into those red, glowing orbs. Her heart seemed to burst in her chest as she recognized the glint they held. Her face paled and the voice echoed in her mind. "Remember now?"

"It's you..." she choked out as the hand let her go and shoved her backwards. Quistis stumbled over her feet in shock and fell to the ground. She slid across the floor as she turned her head back towards the creature. "You took Rinoa."

"Yes!" the voice said, almost pleased. "Where is this Rinoa?"

"You took her from us...you killed her! You used her body to kill me. And Selphie. And thousands of immortals!" Quistis screamed viciously, not even aware of what she was saying any more. "You monster!"

"Where is she!?" the creature demanded.

"I'm not telling you!" Quistis shouted as the shadow loomed above her. Her eyes narrowed challengingly. "You took her from us before...I'm not letting you do it again!"

"You think you can stop me? The little would be Queen of Centra?" the voice mocked. Surprise was written all over Quistis' face. "Yes, I know all about you. But you're not my target. Where is the gifted girl?"

"No!" Quistis screamed as she narrowed her eyes. "Leave me alone!"

"I'm not going anywhere until I find her," the shadow growled. "You can tell me now or I can find out for myself..." The shadow extended it's arm forward and Quistis was frozen in her stop. "I'm part of you now. I know EVERYTHING you know."

"No!" Quistis shouted once more. She tried to move, but felt her body immobile. Her breathing was ragged as she saw the creature flying towards her, blood red eyes locked on to hers. She opened her mouth to scream as she closed her eyes. She felt an icy wind whip past her and knocking the scream right out of her mouth.

Her eyes opened and she looked around. The creature was gone. The area around her was dark. "I know EVERYTHING."

Her heart stopped as she fell to her knees and stared at the ground in front of her. She understood now. She knew what she had done. Everything suddenly made so much sense. Her eyes went wide as the realization struck her. Ultimecia was now trapped in her body...and was hunting for Rinoa.

"Hyne..." she gasped breathlessly as her eyes watered. "What have I done...?" 

* * *

"Hold her down!" Squall growled as he stood to the side as he readied a needle.

Irvine and Seifer were holding Quistis down on the bed as Selphie stood desperately tried to keep her head steady. Quistis was tossing from side to side, randomly screaming out 'no' every so often. "Quisty..." Selphie whimpered as she watched her friend's beautiful face control with horror.

"Zell, hold out her arm!" Squall ordered. Immediately, the tattooed blond rushed over and held out Quistis' arm. He held her wrist down and locked her arm into place as Squall rubbed an area with a cotton swab dosed with alcohol. He tossed it aside and pierced her ivory skin with the needle.

"Be careful!" Seifer growled as he watched Quistis' hand clench.

"I'm trying!" Squall snapped back. As soon as the needle was empty, Squall pulled it out and quickly put some gauze on the wound.

Almost immediately, Quistis relaxed and everyone let out a sigh of relief as she did. "What's in that stuff?" Irvine asked as he moved away from Quistis' cot.

"Don't worry about it," Squall said. He threw the needle away. "I'm going to go check on Rinoa and tell her what's going on if she's awake," he told them. "Come get me if anything happens."

"Right!" Selphie said. She began to make herself comfortable next to Quistis' bed. Zell and Irvine left the tent and Seifer stood there, looming over her.

"Hey," he said with a frown. "I can take it from here."

Selphie rolled her eyes. "What's with the over protective mode?" she frowned. "Quistis is MY friend, you know! If something happens, one of us can run out to get them and the other can stay here and make sure she's okay," she narrowed her green eyes as they met Seifer's. "Or do you WANT to leave her when she's vulnerable?" she asked.

"Of course not!" Seifer growled. Huffing, he sat down on the floor next to Quistis' cut. "Fine," he snapped. "But if something DOES happen. YOU'RE going."

Outside, Irvine and Zell ran to catch up with Squall. "So she knows?" Irvine asked.

"They both do," Squall stated sharply. He stopped in mid step and turned to look at them. "Zell, keep an eye on Quistis. Something's not right...Irvine...you better figure out how you're going to explain everything to Selphie."

"Already?" Irvine gasped. "But..."

"It's going to happen SOON," Squall mumbled. He looked back at Quistis' tent. "You saw what happen in there. Something's going on with Quistis. I'm not sure what, but she didn't look like she was enjoying it."

"Do you think it's the sorceress?" Zell asked questioningly. Squall's expression didn't change.

"I don't know," he admitted. "But I wouldn't be surprised. Call Raijin and Fujin...tell them to come back."

"What if they haven't figured out everything yet?" Zell asked.

"I don't CARE," Squall snapped. "We're running out of time!" With that he turned around and marched towards Rinoa's tent. As he approached, his senses went into over drive. He didn't sense any restlessness in her tent and assumed she was knocked out from the night before.

He slowly unzipped her tent and slipped in quietly, something he had grown quite good at. He turned around after he closed the tent and saw her laying on her stomach across her cot with her hands hanging off the side. From the peaceful look on her face, she wasn't having any nightmares. He let out a breath of relief and crouched down at her side.

Squall's hand rose and gently caressed her face as he studied it. She was so tired. He had followed her last night. He had been wandering around, after a talk with Seifer on Quistis' status. The blond proudly boasted that Quistis was "as good as his". Squall had heard Rinoa's tent open and he followed her with his eyes as she walked towards the research tent.

As she settle in to do some work, he sat silently at the side of the tent. He could hear her scurrying around the tent, brushing the tablets and the sound the machine scanning it's ancient letters into a modern machine. At times, she would begin to hum a familiar tune. He remembered smiling to himself as he recognized the song as something she used to sing all those years ago.

Then he heard her talking to herself about going to bed. He prepared to go and suddenly 'appear' so as to check on her. When he entered the research tent, he froze. Rinoa was staring at the computer. He didn't even know if she realized it herself, but the monitor was practically flashing as Rinoa read the text as she scrolled. Thinking she was still awake, he sneaked back outside.

He heard her get up and rush across the tent. The familiar sound of a brush dusting off dirt from a stone table was heard and then more scanning. He narrowed his eyes and peeked through the windows. Rinoa was scanning all the remaining tablets. After a few minutes, she returned to the computer, almost in a daze, as she began to read once more.

He watched as she seemed to be hypnotized by what she reading in the tablets. "Trapped..." he heard her whisper as her eyes stared blankly at the monitor in front of her. Slowly, her shoulders began to heave up and down as she fell forward against the key board.

Squall rushed in and found that she had fallen asleep. Curiously, he looked up at the monitor. He moved her hand off the mouse and replaced it with his as he scrolled through the scanned images. He read it just as easily as she had and mentally swore. Sis...? Why did you have to chronicle this, too? his mind asked. He looked down at Rinoa.

In the horizon, the sun was starting to rise and Squall mentally swore. The others would wake up soon. Without another thought, he turned off the computer. He debated whether or not to carry Rinoa back to her tent, but decided it would be best to leave her. He slipped out of the room and waited behind the tent until Selphie came and found her.

Part of him wondered if he should have deleted the scanned text. But he realized it would do him no good. The tablets were still there and he couldn't just destroy them. He leaned forward and pressed his head against his hand as a smaller hand grabbed on to his free one.

His head jerked up and he looked over at Rinoa once more. "Squall..." Rinoa's voice said softly.

"Shh..." he whispered. "Go back to sleep...you need some rest."

"Squall...can I wear you ring?" Rinoa asked softly. He narrowed his eyes slightly.

"Why?" he asked, unsure of he should give it to her or not.

"Please?" Rinoa quietly pleaded. "You said it was to protect me..." He let out a deep breath and nodded.

"I'll give it to you later-"

"Now," Rinoa said. She chewed on her bottom lip reluctantly, knowing that she sounded too needy. "I just want to know that it's close..."

Squall looked into her chocolate brown eyes and nodded. "All right..." he whispered. "It's in my tent. I'll get it."

Rinoa nodded and smiled. He stood up and stepped away from her, allowing her hand to slip from his larger ones as he moved away. "Mmm...Squall..."

"Yes?" he asked as he unzipped the tent. His back was turned to her. Rinoa smiled to herself and shook her head.

"Nothing..." she said. He nodded and stepped out of the tent. Rinoa looked at the spot where he had been standing and sighed. "I love you..."

* * *

Selphie was humming something about trains and Seifer was grinding his teeth against each other. Make her stop... his mind screamed. Stop it...

"Train, train..." Selphie began to sing out loud.

Stop it...stop it...stop it... Seifer said. "STOP!" Selphie immediately shut her mouth as she turned to look at him in surprise.

"Geez!" she frowned. "No need to yell, Seifer..."

"I wouldn't have to YELL if you would just shut up." Seifer hissed behind gritted teeth. Hyne...she was ALWAYS like this...

Selphie shrugged and looked back at Quistis. The blond professor was laying motionlessly on the cot and Selphie would've returned to her humming, if only to annoy Seifer more, if she hadn't caught the flinch in Quistis' face. She squinted and turned her whole body towards Quistis.

She could see Quistis' eyes begin to move from beneath her lids. Her hands began to twitch and Quistis' made a slight jerk. "Hey..." Selphie gasped. "Seifer...Seifer, she's moving!"

"What?" Annoyed at Selphie, Seifer turned his head and saw Quistis begin to move. "Quistis!" he gasped. He turned over on to his knees and crouched down at her side. He whirled around to Selphie. "Go find, Squall!" he ordered.

"But-" Selphie began, but she saw Seifer poised to scream at her if necessarily. "All right! I'll be right back!" She shot out of her chair and practically jumped out of the tent.

Seifer looked back over at Quistis. "Hey...Quistis?"

Without warning, her eyes shot open and horrified blue orbs opened to the tent ceiling as her mouth let out loud gasp. "No!"

"Quistis!" Seifer said. The blond was struggling and he clamped his strong hands on her shoulders, trying to steady her. "Quistis, calm down!"

Quistis was breathing deeply and turned her head to look at Seifer. The blond man looked worried as his emerald eyes looked into hers. "Sei...Seifer..." she gasped out tiredly.

"Hey...shh..." His hand cupped her damp, sweaty face and he smiled. "It's all right...you're okay..."

Quistis nodded and closed her eyes. "Is everyone okay?" she asked quietly. Seifer nodded.

"Yeah...yeah, everyone is fine..." he assured her. "Are you okay? Do you need anything?"

"Yeah, I'm fine..." Quistis assured him. She smiled slightly and nodded. "I'm a little hot...can you get me some water?"

"Let's just wait until Selphie gets back-"

"Seifer, my throat is really dry..." Quistis said, wincing slightly. "Please?" Seifer mentally debated whether he should go get her water or not. He took a deep breath and decided that she was fit enough to be left alone.

"Sure thing..." Seifer said. He lifted the back of her hand to his lips and kissed it softly. "I'll get some cold water from the cafeteria, okay? Just rest," He stepped back from her, keeping his eyes on her at all time. "I'll be right back." he promised.

Quistis nodded and watched as he left her tent. She heard his foot steps move away and narrowed her eyes. She sat up straight and put her legs over the cot before standing up.

* * *

"...And then Quistis fainted all of a sudden," Zell said as he sat on a chair in the cafeteria. He was cooking dinner for everyone and was wearing a dark green apron. "So when can you guys get here?"

Seifer walked in just as Zell flipped over a steak. "Chicken-wuss, where's the chilled bottled water?" he demanded.

Zell flicked him off casually. "The fridge!" he said as he returned to his phone conversation. "Yeah, Squall said it doesn't matter. Just come back...what? I don't know..."

"Who are you talking to?" Seifer asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Fujin. Squall wants them to come back because he says that something is going to happen." Zell said. Seifer nodded slightly.

Squall walked in from the dining area, shoving a cellular phone in his back pocket as he came in. Seifer motioned towards Zell. "What's with the emergency meeting?"

"What's with the water?" Squall countered.

Before Seifer could answer, Zell interjected. "Hey, Squall...you might want to hear this..." Zell said, trailing off. Squall's eyes narrowed slightly as he walked over and took the small black phone from Zell.

"What?" he demanded. He listened intently and Seifer stood there, curious as to what was being said. Zell focused on dinner and didn't notice Squall's eyes grow wide or his face drain of all color. His eyes narrowed. "Get back here NOW!" he growled into the phone.

Zell whirled around and Seifer raised an eyebrow. "What did they say-"

"Where's Quistis!?" Squall said as he walked towards the exit. Seifer lifted up one bottle of water.

"In her tent. She just woke up so I went to get her some water." Seifer replied coolly.

"Shit! Why didn't you tell me!?" Squall snapped.

"I sent Selphie-"

Just as Seifer began to explain, Selphie flew into the kitchen and let out a heavy sigh. "There you are!" Selphie gasped out as she ran into the tent. She gave them a lopsided smile. "I was looking all over for you!"

"Where is Quistis?" Squall said.

Selphie tilted her head to the side. "I thought she was in the tent with Seifer..." Her voice trailed off as she saw the tall blond male behind Squall. "Hey...how'd you get here so fast?"

"You're just slow." Seifer retorted quickly.

Squall swore and nearly shoved Selphie out of the way as he flew out the tent. "Hey!" Selphie said. She darted out after Squall. Seifer followed behind them.

"Puberty boy!" Seifer shouted. "What the hell's going on!? What's the rush!?" he shouted.

"She's AWAKE!" Squall yelled as he ran down the path to Rinoa's tent. "She's awake and she's in Quistis' body!"

"What!?" Selphie gasped. "Who's awake!?"

"What's she doing in Quistis' body!?" Seifer gasped.

"She's using it as a host!" Squall said. "She's going to use Quistis to get to Rinoa!"

"What!?" Selphie asked. "What about Rinoa?"

"Not now!" Seifer growled. He ran after Squall with all his might. Ahead of them was Rinoa's tent.

Squall prayed. Squall prayed silently as he ran. His heart was beating quicker by the second as he approached her tent. "RINOA!!"

* * *

The sound of her tent opening made Rinoa shift in bed. The light of the setting sun flooded into her tent and she let out a groan. "Hey..." she mumbled. A shadow fell over her and she peeked out from under the thin covers where she was under. She smiled warmly at the figure that was entering her tent. "Hi, Quisty...Squall told me you fainted...are you okay?" she asked tiredly as she sat up in bed.

The blond smiled as her bare feet stepped into the tent. They were matted with dirt and sand from her walk over. "I am a lot better," the blond said as she smiled. She raised her head and met Rinoa's brown eyed gaze. "Now..."


	12. Betrayal

**Mythology**  
_Chapter Twelve: Betrayal_  
By PasifiKStaR

**Author's Note**: It seems to be dragging on and on...When will it end? Maybe next chapter? I HOPE. I feel that this is a filler chapter. I made it up as I went along, so if it makes no sense, please feel free to email me with questions. Thank you for your support this far! I really appreciate it! Much love, everyone!!

All Standard Disclaimers Apply: I do not own Final Fantasy.

* * *

"That's good to hear," Rinoa sighed happily. She tiredly put her legs over her cot and sat up. She smiled as she patted the area next to her on the cot. "Have a seat. Are you sure you're okay?" Rinoa looked up at Quistis and frowned slightly. "You don't look completely well. Are you sure it's okay for you to be up and about?"

"I'm all right, Rinoa," Quistis said with a slight smile on her face. "I just wanted to check up on you."

Rinoa laughed slightly as Quistis sat down next to her. "I should be the one checking up on you. You're the one that fainted."

"It's all right. I was...well taken care of."

Rinoa smirked. "So...Seifer was there huh?"

"Of course." Quistis said with a dark smile. Rinoa studied her long time friend's face and her smirk slowly disappeared.

She raised her hand and placed it against Quistis' forehead. "Quisty..." she said in a worried tone. Her brown eyes landed on the blonde's blue ones, noting their glassy, empty look - something unnatural to the fiery woman.

"Don't worry about me," Quistis assured her calmly. Her own slender hands rose and cupped Rinoa's face. "I was worried about you," Quistis said, a strange tone in her voice. Rinoa's eyes narrowed slightly as the pressure from Quistis' hands grew heavier.

"Quisty...Quistis...ow...you're squeezing my face...!" Rinoa gasped. Quistis merely turned her face roughly towards her and continued to smile.

"Oh yes..." Quistis smiled. "You're still her..."

"Quistis!" Rinoa gasped. "What are you talking about! AH! Stop it! You're hurting me!"

"Just relax, Rinoa," Quistis said, her voice heavy and almost soothing. Rinoa's squinted eyes were locked with Quistis' blue ones. She watched, hypnotized, as sapphire eyes slowly flooded with a thick, smoky garnet color. "All I need is you...you want me to get better, right?"

Rinoa nodded her head absent mindedly. "Of...of course, Quisty..."

"You're my best friend, aren't you?" Quistis cooed. Rinoa nodded once her more as her eyes turned hazy.

"Yes, Quisty..."

"Then just stay still for a little while..." Quistis held Rinoa's jaw firmly in front of her and leaned forward. Rinoa was lost in Quistis' eyes, her body completely frozen. A stern tug pulled Rinoa's mouth open and Quistis opened her own ruby lips.

* * *

Squall's feet kicked up dirt as he slid to a stop in front of Rinoa's tent. He grabbed the material of Rinoa's tent and threw it open. "Rinoa!"

He froze in his spot as paper flew past him. His eyes widened as his heart stopped in his chest. His thick bangs flew around his face, carried by the wind that circulated insanely within Rinoa's tent. And in the center, floating on her back with her arms dangling at her sides, was Rinoa, clad in her Care Bear pajama pants and tank top. Her head seemed to rest unattached to her body as it tilted at a strange angle. Her face was turned towards a seemingly familiar blonde.

Behind Squall, Seifer skid to a stop behind him and nearly shoved him aside as he arrived. "Quistis!" he shouted as he stumbled in. His emerald eyes grew large as he saw the professor hovering three inches off the ground. Her long strands of blond hair had fallen from it's usual bun and was now coiling wildly around her like Medusa's snake filled hair.

Her hands were holding Rinoa's face towards her as the younger woman's blank eyes stared up into hers. Soft pink lips were parted as a nearly transparent white smoke floated out of her mouth and into the awaiting mouth of Quistis.

Selphie entered the tent, her own eyes growing large before screaming. Her shrill scream cut through the senses of the sorceress and Quistis whirled her head around. Seifer swore as he recoiled and stared in fascinated horror as his beloved's beautiful placid blue eyes were replaced with a swirling mess of crystal blood.

Ruby lips pulled back to reveal pearl white fangs as Quistis pulled her hands from Rinoa's head and hissed viciously at the trio at the door. "Quistis!" Selphie cried out in horror. Her eyes were automatically drawn to Quistis'. All of a sudden, her heart began to race as sweat matted her forehead. Large, dilated emerald eyes rimmed with tears as Selphie's legs gave out beneath her.

"Quistis, what are you doing!?" Squall growled as he stepped forward.

Quistis let out a screech as her hands mutated into claws beside her. Long, slender fingers turned into sharp, pointed ones. She swiped at Squall, making the brunette stumble back against Seifer. Seeing her opportunity, the possessed Quistis jumped into the air, tearing a slit at the top of Rinoa's tent. A second later Rinoa's suspended body fell to the ground.

The cyclone like wind that circled the tent died down as Squall dove to catch Rinoa before her fragile body slammed into the ground. She fell into his arms as he slid down beneath her. Her eyes were still wide open, staring blankly into space.

"Quistis!" Seifer was screaming. He was outside, frantically trying to find where the other young woman had gone.

Selphie was a puddle by the entry way. Her eyes carried a blank expression as she stared out in front of her. "What's going on!?" voices gasped outside.

"She's back!" Selphie heard Seifer exclaim furiously.

"What!?" Irvine gasped.

"Rinoa!?" Zell asked. "Quistis!?"

"She has Quistis and Rinoa's...Hyne, I don't know WHAT happened to her!" Seifer shouted. The flap to the tent flew open as Zell dashed in with Irvine stumbling behind him. Both males almost tripped over Selphie.

Zell's eyes immediately fell on the figures on the ground in the center of the tent. Squall held Rinoa against him, almost like a safety blanket as he stroked her bare arm. "What happened...?" Zell whispered.

Irvine looked down at Selphie and knelt down next to her. "Selphie? Selphie...hey, darling?" he asked softly. Selphie had an unreadable expression on her face as tears streamed down her pale cheeks. "Selphie...?"

"What's going on...?" Selphie gasped out quietly. Irvine's eyes softened as she turned to look at him, looking completely vulnerable.

His arms wrapped around her tiny shoulders and pulled her against his broad chest as her fingers reached out and clung on to his shirt. "Selphie..." Irvine began, not really sure how to begin.

"I don't know what's going on..." Selphie gasped out, on the verge of sobbing. "But...but..." she began to stammer as her lips trembled. Slowly, her words escaped her mouth in short gasps. "That...wasn't...Quisty..."

"Darling...I..." Irvine began, but paused. He turned to Zell and Squall for help.

Squall's head was downcast, burying itself in the crook of Rinoa's neck. His shoulders rose slightly as he took a deep breath. "Take Selphie to her room," he said, his voice hitting Irvine straight on. The auburn haired cowboy turned to him. "Tell her EVERYTHING."

Irvine narrowed his eyes. "Are you sure?"

"EVERYTHING, Irvine!" Squall growled as his head shot up and blue eyes glared at him menacingly. "NOW!"

"Right!" Irvine shot up from where he was kneeling and gently helped Selphie up. "C'mon, darling...I'll tell you everything, okay?"

Selphie nodded, but pulled back as Irvine tried to lead her away from the tent. "What about Rinoa and Quistis?" Selphie whimpered as sniffled.

Irvine's face was twisted in pain as he tried to find an answer for her. "We'll take care of them," Zell assured her as he put a hand on her shoulder. "Don't worry," he said with reassuring smile. "They'll be all right."

Selphie sniffled and looked back at Rinoa. The young woman laid limply in Squall's arms. Her chest was rising and falling ever so slightly, assuring Selphie that she was still alive. The green eyed brunette nodded slightly. Silently, she looked up at Irvine and allowed her to be lead out of the tent.

Zell looked back at Squall. "Squall-"

"Laguna should be getting here any day now," Squall said sternly. "He's bringing something that will help. Until then, go make sure Seifer doesn't do anything stupid like try to run off."

Zell nodded quietly and turned around. As he exited the tent, Squall heard another man's footsteps and then Zell's voice. "Where are you going?"

"Where the hell do you think I'm going, chicken-wuss!" Seifer growled. "I'm going after Quistis!"

"You don't even know where she went!" Zell gasped.

"I don't care! I'll find her-"

"Seifer, don't be stupid!" Zell argued. "You can't run after her now-"

"Why not!?" Seifer shouted. "She's out there! Alone! Possessed by some mad sorceress! I need to find her-"

"Do you know who you sound like!?" Zell countered. "You sound like Squall!"

"What are you talking about!?" Seifer growled. "I don't have time for this-"

"He said the exact same thing you just said when Rinoa was possessed and went missing! And I'm going to tell you exactly what we told him that night!" Zell said. "_Don't be fucking stupid._"

From within the tent, Squall could hear Seifer's heavy breathing as he tried to figure out what to do. Finally, Seifer let out a swear and Squall heard him stomp away. Zell let out a heavy sigh of relief. He listened to Zell leave the area and Squall closed his eyes.

He pressed his head against Rinoa's neck and slowly listened to her steady heart beat. Carefully, he stood up and lifted her up with him. Squall was about to place her back on her bed, but stopped. He stopped, rethinking it, and he carried the limp woman out of the tent. As he stepped outside, the tent the last rays of sun light vanished in the horizon.

He looked down at the woman in his arms and continued on his way up to his tent.

* * *

Quistis' hand slammed into the halls of one of the fallen buildings in the ruins. Her body was a chaotic pool where two souls battled it out for supremacy. Tears stung her blue eyes as the thought of her body being used as a tool in some evil creature's attempt to kill one of her best friends.

"I'm not trying to kill her..." a smooth voice said. "Just gain the power within her."

"Lair!" Quistis shouted out loud. "That WILL kill her!"

"That's just a side effect..." Quistis closed her eyes and leaned back heavily against the stone wall. Ultimecia was getting stronger. She KNEW it. Ever since she watched through her own eyes as Ultimecia trapped Rinoa in a trance and began to take away that...that haze from her.

Quistis had no idea what it was, but she knew that with each passing second and with each inch of that smoke that entered her, she was getting more and more powerful. Perhaps not her, but Ultimecia. It was a warm energy that flooded her body as her senses grew more and more sharp. Yet, the mere thought of it within her struck her with fear. It wasn't RIGHT. It was if she had stolen a part of Rinoa herself.

What do you mean AS IF? she thought to herself. "You DID steal part of her!"

"I must return..." Ultimecia said, her voice echoing in Quistis' head. The young blond woman grasped her head tightly.

"Get out of my head!" she screamed furiously as she leaned forward, still holding her head. "Now! Get out! Get OUT!!"

"I'm not going anywhere," Ultimecia snorted from within. "Not until I gain the gifted child's powers."

"Why do you NEED them!?" Quistis practically sobbed as she felt herself near the verge of insanity. "You're a damn sorceress!"

"Foolish young Queen," Ultimecia snapped, almost as if annoyed by Quistis' complaints. "You claim to be the wisest one, but you understand nothing. A sorceress amasses her power through the potential powers of others. That gifted child has long dormant powers that would never have been put to use! It sickens me that such high levels of magic could be wasted away on some whiny girl."

"She is NOT whiny!" Quistis hissed. "She is my BEST FRIEND! You monster!" Quistis tilted her head back as her body shook with fury. "You nearly killed her! You USED me to do so - I can never go back there again!"

Suddenly, Quistis felt as if her body had been shocked with electricity. She let out a cry of anguish as Ultimecia easily took control of her body. "Listen to me, young Queen. I control you now. You have NO power, understand? And I WILL use you to gain that girl's power."

"No..." Quistis gasped. She focused all her energy into retaking her body, but could barely get her head to turn from side to side. "I won't help you. I'll DIE before I help you!"

Malicious laughter flooded her mind as Quistis inwardly winced. "Go ahead and KILL yourself!" Ultimecia urged. "It'll only allow me to take complete control over your pathetic body," she scoffed and Quistis abandoned all thoughts of death. At least this way, she had SOME control over her body. "When I entered that other girl the first time, I killed her on contact. She easily became my puppet. Do not think that I would not do the same to you."

"They'll stop you," Quistis stammered. She tried to sound as convincing as possible despite having no idea what she was talking about. She felt her body crumple to the ground against the wall as Ultimecia let her regain some control. But Quistis was weak. She felt as if she had spent the entire day working non-stop. "They'll come for you," she insisted. "And they'll get rid of you...like the first time."

"The FIRST time?" Ultimecia snorted once more. "The first time they did nothing but hold me back. I was destined to return! I merely gave that other girl too little credit before and I shall not make the same mistake again."

"What do you mean?" Quistis gasped. "Squall killed you!"

"That SQUALL you speak of killed his own lover!" Ultimecia laughed. "I gave the skinny twit too little credit and she was able to gain control of her corpse for a split second. A second enough for her lover to descend upon her with his own blade."

"He didn't WANT to kill her! He was after you!" Quistis gasped.

"But she had control of her body at the time..." Ultimecia laughed. "Imagine the trauma the little temple warrior would succumb to had he realized it."

Quistis narrowed her eyes and took a deep breath. "He didn't kill her," she said in a slow, drawn out voice. She remembered Rinoa's words. "He merely set her free."

"Call it what you will," Ultimecia said. "But I will return for her once more. Once the powers I drew from her are settled..."

"You seriously believe that she will be there alone? Unguarded?" Quistis retaliated back. "Don't be naive..."

"Naive..." the woman laughed once more, each shrill sound cutting through Quistis like a knife. "There is someone there who will do anything to get you back."

Quistis' eyes went wide. Seifer!? she thought of immediately. Her heart began to beat rapidly with a mere thought of the arrogant blond man.

"Oh yes, my dear...and don't think I can't hear you. I know everything, remember?" the voice reminded her. "I could see it in his eyes. He'd do anything for you. Even hand over Rinoa."

"No..." Quistis gasped, trying to convince herself. "He wouldn't. He knows that I wouldn't want him to!"

"All I have to do is offer an exchange. He gives Rinoa, and I take her powers and give you back to him."

"No!" Quistis shouted. "Seifer...he wouldn't..."

"You'd be surprised what people will do for the ones they love," Ultimecia told her coolly. "Love, at times... is a more powerful tool than hate can ever be."

* * *

"How...how is she doing?" Selphie's shaken voice cut through Zell's pensive posture. He looked up with surprised blue eyes as the young woman who was formerly his cousin looked down at him. Her eyes were red and puffy, a sign that she had been crying quite badly.

He looked over his shoulder at the flap of Squall's tent and nodded. "I think so."

"Where's Squall?" Selphie piped.

Zell took a deep breath. "He went to talk to Seifer a little while ago...after Rinoa woke up."

"She's awake!?" Selphie gasped. Before Zell could stop her, Selphie dashed into the tent. She pulled the flap aside and looked around. There, sitting slumped over in Squall's cot, was Rinoa. Her eyes stared vacantly at her hands in front of her as an army green blanket rested at her waist. Selphie swallowed nervously and approached her. "Rin...?"

Brown eyes turned to meet her and automatically rimmed with tears. "Selphie..." Rinoa whimpered softly. "I'm so sorry..."

Selphie's lower lips trembled as she ran up to Rinoa and dove into the cot with her, wrapping her skinny arms around Rinoa's frame. Almost instantaneously, both girls burst into tears and outside, Zell winced as he heard their wailing.

He looked over towards Seifer's tent down the path and watched as Irvine walked in casually. Zell himself had been assigned by Squall to watch over Rinoa just in case Ultimecia came back.

Inside Seifer's tent, Irvine walked in to find both men locked in an intense gaze as they stood a little bit away from each other. Seifer looked absolutely furious as Squall stood there looking cold. Irvine looked at them both warily and made an assumption as to what was happening.

Seifer's eyes narrowed. "You of all people should understand me right now." the blond growled in a low voice.

"And you should understand WHY I'm stopping you from going," Squall retorted. "Do you really think you'll stand a chance against Ultimecia?"

"I need to find out where Quistis is," Seifer insisted. "I just need to know that she's all right-"

"She is all right!" Squall snapped. "It's not the same as Rinoa. Quistis didn't die the moment Ultimecia entered her! Quistis is still ALIVE!"

"I'm glad she is but what about her soul, Squall?" Seifer asked bitterly. "What about THAT, huh? How do I know that Ultimecia hasn't torn her spirit apart!?"

"Seifer, shut up!" Irvine cried out, exasperated. The two men looked over at cowboy who threw his hat on the ground, annoyed. "This isn't the time!"

"What the hell do you know!?" Seifer growled back, this time lashing out at Irvine. "You're not the one who just lost your lover AGAIN!"

"I just had to sit through three hours of Selphie in tears!" Irvine growled back. "Do you think that I enjoyed THAT!?"

"Enough!" Squall shouted angrily, gaining him the attention of both Irvine and Seifer. The three men looked at each other. "Seifer, you're not going anywhere. We both know that Ultimecia is going to come back. Whether we want her to or not!"

Seifer's shoulders heaved as he took in anger filled breaths. "Fine."

"And Irvine..." Squall took a deep breath and ran his hand through his hair. "How is Selphie?"

Irvine eyed Seifer once more before turning to Squall. He bent down and swept up his hat in his hands before answering. "I told her everything. She's with Rinoa right now."

Squall nodded. "Good...Fujin and Raijin will be here soon with what they found out. Laguna will be arriving with the equipment we need."

Irvine took a deep breath and offered a smile. "Great. Can't wait to get my hands on it."

"We won't be blowing anything up," Seifer said, rolling his eyes. "Magic negating equipment, right?"

"Right," Squall said. "Now...Seifer, I know it will be HARD for you, but sit your ass here. Irvine, come with me to the research tent."

"I'll bring Selphie," Irvine said. "She knows her way around the tent."

"She knows how to get to the tablets, too, right?" Squall asked as he headed out of the tent. Irvine followed after him. Before the flap fell, Squall looked inside once more to make sure Seifer was staying. The blond fell back on his bed and covered his face with his arm.

"Yeah," Irvine replied ahead of him. They walked up the path way to Squall's tent. Zell was sitting outside, his own eyes red and rimming with tears. Irvine raised an eyebrow as they approached him. "What happened to you?"

Zell sniffled and rubbed his eyes. "Nothing!" he insisted. "I just got some sand in my eyes!"

Irvine and Squall exchanged looks as they headed for the flap. Squall gently tapped his hand on the entry flap of the tent. "Rin...?"

"Come in..." a raspy voice said. Squall and Irvine pushed aside the flap and stepped inside. Rinoa and Selphie were both sitting on the cot. On Selphie's lap was a box of tissue and both their eyes were puffy and red.

"Hey, darlings," Irvine offered as he entered the tent behind Squall and removed his hat. "Are you ladies all right?"

"Yeah..." Rinoa sniffled. "We just had a talk."

"I hope Zell wasn't bothered by it," Selphie sniffled as she rubbed her nose with a tissue. "We were kind of loud."

"I'm sure he's fine." Squall sighed. He looked over at Irvine, as if telling him to get Selphie. The cowboy nodded and put his hat back on his head.

"Selphie, darlin', I know it's been a lot, but do you think you can lend us a hand?" Irvine asked smoothly. "We need your guidance in the research tent."

Selphie nodded. "Of course," she said. She crumpled up her tissue and looked over at Rinoa. "Are you going to be okay, Rinoa?"

Rinoa nodded. "I'll be fine, Selph," she insisted. "Just go help them. I can help, too-"

"No, you will sit here and not move," Squall told her sternly. Rinoa cracked a small smile and nodded. The brown haired male looked at the other two. "I'll meet you two in the research tent."

Irvine nodded and casually gave Rinoa a wink as he put his arm around Selphie and lead her out of the room. Squall followed after them and Rinoa could hear him talking to Zell in a low voice. Zell nodded and said he would be back in a few minutes. Then she heard him get up off the stool he had been sitting on and walk away.

A second later, Squall re-entered the tent and closed the flap. He turned to Rinoa and approached her slowly. Before he had a chance to talk, Rinoa spoke "She'll be back for me, won't she?" she asked in a shaky voice.

Squall took a sharp breath and nodded. His eyes turned away from her. "Yes..." he told her hesitantly. "I don't know when."

Rinoa's eyes fell and she closed them. She took a deep breath and raised her head to look at Squall. "And Quistis?"

"Quistis is still alive as far as we know," Squall told her truthfully. "We're trying to find out a way to get Quistis back without hurting her."

Rinoa nodded slightly. Her hands reached out and wrapped themselves over his callused ones. "What if it were me, Squall?" Rinoa asked quietly. She bit her lower lip. "What if Ultimecia came back and she wanted me?"

"She does want you, Rinoa," Squall admitted. "Remember what I told you earlier? How she was trying to get to your...powers."

Rinoa shook her head. "But WHAT powers?" she nearly sobbed out. Tears began to fall from her eyes as frustration was written all over her face. "I don't HAVE any powers, Squall! I'm just a normal girl!"

Squall shook his head. "No, Rinoa," he told her softly as his hands squeezed hers. "You're not just a normal girl. You have these...dormant powers inside of you. Even as an immortal you had them, but you just never utilized them. That is what Ultimecia is after."

"Then why is she hurting Quistis?" Rinoa pleaded.

"Because Quistis got the ring that sealed Ultimecia away before you did. So Ultimecia slipped inside of Quistis and is now using Quistis' body to get to you," Squall explained. "Honestly, I don't know if she's going to drain your magic or trying to instill herself inside of you and later abandon Quistis' body as her host."

Rinoa looked away, her breathing shallow. "It's not fair, Squall..." she murmured quietly. "Quistis never did anything to anyone. Why is she doing this to her?"

"I don't know, Rin," he answered. "But we'll get her back..." he soothed as he raised one hand and caressed the side of her face gently. "We'll get her back and save you and everyone."

Rinoa nodded, although she didn't know how they would. "What should I do?"

"Just...just stay here," Squall told her, also unsure of how they would accomplish their task. For Rinoa, they thought they could handle it. But with this twist in the story, they didn't know what to expect. "I'll have Zell stand watch. We'll be in the research tent."

Rinoa nodded and Squall kissed her forehead softly as he pulled away. She watched as he left and looked down at her finger where a silver ring rested. She closed her eyes and held her hand against her chest, thanking the divine that she was alive.

She could still feel Ultimecia slowly sucking away her energy, as if she was being drained of life itself. But for some reason, she knew it was moving along slowly. She thought that Ultimecia would've been able to absorb all her magic soon, but the transfer was painfully slow. As she looked at the ring, she rubbed it. It might not protect me like Squall wants... she thought to herself as she laid back out on the bed. But it's still doing it's job.

* * *

He turned in bed roughly as he kicked off his blanket. It suddenly seemed that the cold desert night had turned into the scorching desert day. Grumbling, his eyes flew open and he looked up around him. Immediately, green eyes went wide as they set their sights on to the velvet darkness of the night.

"What the..." Seifer sat up straight in bed and looked around. His eyebrows furrowed as he tried to make sense of the area around him. He could've sworn that he had fallen asleep inside his tent. The first thing he assumed was that Zell and Irvine had once again tag teamed him in some sort of sick practical joke. However, looking around, he couldn't see his tent, let alone the camp anywhere.

He sat up and walked in a little circle, his mind whirling with conclusions, but ultimately deciding that it was a dream. Groaning, he fell back down on his bed, only to land back first into a pile of sand.

"What the fuck is all of this!?" Seifer yelled furiously into the air as he lifted up both hands and allowed sand to fall between his fingers. He was no in the mood for some strange dream.

"Seifer...!" a voice called out. His eyes narrowed as his ears perked at the sound of his name being called by a familiar voice. "Seifer, help me!"

His eyes widened slightly as he stood up. Suddenly, he felt cold all over as the heat that had awoken him disappeared. His heart began to beat quickly as he recognized the female voice calling him. "Quistis!?" he shouted into the darkness of the desert.

He turned around, trying desperately to locate the voice. "Seifer, help me!"

"Quistis!" he shouted. "Where are you!?"

"Help me, Seifer!" He turned and saw a faint figure of the beautiful blond standing there. His eyes widened as he watched her raise her slender arm up at him. "Seifer, please! I'm so scared!"

"Quistis!" Seifer gasped. He took off towards the shadow, reaching out towards in her vain. She began to float backwards, her golden bangs trailing before her face as she was pulled away from him. "Quistis, wait! Where are you!? Come back!"

"Help me, Seifer!" a voice sounded around her as he watched her nearly transparent face contort with sadness.

"Quistis!" he called desperately. "Dammit, woman! Slow down!"

"Seifer!" her voice gasped suddenly. Seifer came to a grinding halt as he nearly ran into her transparent figure. "Seifer, she has me! She won't let me go!"

"Don't worry, Quistis, we'll get you out!"

"She said that she won't let me out unless she gets Rinoa!" Quistis told him tearfully. Seifer's eyes narrowed.

"Is she going to come after her again?" he asked frantically. "Tell me! I need to know!"

"I don't know!" Quistis gasped. She shook her head from side to side as she looked at her hands. They were growing more and more transparent by the second. "Seifer, she's going to kill me if she doesn't get Rinoa!"

"WHAT!?" Seifer gasped. "But...no!"

"Seifer, help me, please!" Quistis begged. "You're the only one I can trust now. You're my only hope."

"Quistis..." Seifer mumbled. "Are you asking me to...?" Seifer trailed off, not sure if he even believed her.

"It's the only way to get me back, she said," Quistis sobbed. Her shadowy figured looked at him with forlorn blue eyes. "I barely figured out what happened between us..." she whispered. "I don't want to loose it all yet."

Seifer felt his face heat up as he reached out to touch Quistis. The moment his hand reached her shoulder, it went directly through her and Quistis let out a muffled sob. "Quisty...I..."

"I have to go!" Quistis gasped. "She'll wake up soon, Seifer," she said as she looked over her shoulder, as if expecting Ultimecia to materialize there and kill her on the spot. "She'll be furious when she finds out that I came to you in your dre-"

Suddenly, Quistis' form was pulled back violently, almost as if she had been shoved aside. Her eyes went wide before they rolled back and then in place of her placid blue orbs came vacant ones tinted with red.

"Quistis!" Seifer shouted.

"Quistis isn't HERE anymore." Ultimecia hissed. Seifer recoiled as Quistis' shadow grew in size. A hand reached down towards Seifer, long pointed fingers were ready to dig into his body as he raised his arms and let out a yell.

* * *

Seifer sat up straight in bed, his hair matted down against his pale face with sweat. Beads of salty liquid fell down his temples as he took deep, uneven breaths. He swallowed hard and looked around his tent. His eyes fell down to his lap and then to his hands at his side. His fingers coiled around the blanket at his waist beneath his bare stomach.

He raised one hand slowly, as if imagining that just a few moments ago, there was sand there. He looked around his tent one more as his heart beat struggled to calm down. The walls of his tent were there and not a single thing was out of place from within.

His green eyes narrowed as threw his legs over the side of the cot and sat up. He leaned forward, putting his elbows on his knees as he ran his hands through his hair. Seifer shook his head. "This can't be happening..." he breathed tiredly. "Quistis would never ask me to...Rinoa's her friend..."

He closed his eyes, Quistis' hauntingly terrified voice echoed in his mind. She was begging him to save her. Seifer stood up roughly and tossed his blanket aside. He grabbed a pair of pants that were hanging over the back of his chair and put them on, not even bothering to fasten the belt as they slung around his hips.

Seifer opened the flap of tent and stepped outside. The chill night air pinched his skin as one booted foot stepped outside the confides of the tent. He looked around the camp, noting at how still it was. He took one more step.

A flash of silver in the moonlight made him stop just in time. Another millimeter and his head would've been cut off. Gritting his teeth he followed the length of the glimmering blade to it's revolver handle and to the man who was holding him back.

"Where the hell do you think you're going?" Squall spat out.

Seifer's eyes flashed anger as he lifted his head up slightly. "For a walk," Seifer retorted proudly. "I'm not going to go after Quistis if that's what you're afraid of."

"Forgive me if I don't trust you to." Squall told him coolly.

Seifer snorted and shook his head. "You can follow me if you want. I was just going to go for a walk in the ruins. You should know how it feels..." his eyes landed squarely on Squall's. "To want to get your mind off of things."

Squall's ice blue eyes were narrowed. With one swift movement, the gunblade was down. Seifer raised his bare hand and rubbed his throat. "Don't go past the ruins." Squall warned.

Seifer gave him a superior smirk. "Don't worry about me, Puberty Boy. I'm not about to do something stupid." He calmly walked past Squall while the blue eyed brunette kept a cautious gaze on him.

Rinoa had woken up abruptly and turned into a stiff piece of wood next to Squall. He had already been awake and asked her what was wrong. She began to breath in shallow breaths and demanded that Squall go see Seifer. She KNEW that Ultimecia was close. She was positive that Ultimecia was somewhere close.

Squall had refused to leave her side, but she said that she didn't feel herself under any threat. But was, for some reason, concerned about Seifer. Assuming, she had enough contact with Ultimecia to know her way of thinking, Squall hesitantly left her alone.

As he reached Seifer's tent, he heard the blond mumbling Quistis' name over and over. Almost desperately. Then he heard him get up. Squall closed his eyes and took a deep breath as he silently prayed that everything would be all right. Seifer's head disappeared down the path and Squall turned to head back to his tent.

"Squall?" Rinoa said quietly. Squall jerked his head back and frowned.

"Rinoa, what are you doing out of bed?" he scolded gently. "Go and get some rest-"

"Squall, I need to go to the research tent." Rinoa told him suddenly. He narrowed his eyes and shook his head.

"Rinoa, it's late-"

"Squall, I need to find out something!" Rinoa insisted. She watched as his worried expression turned tired. "This...this power inside of me...I need to know what it is. I can't just sit here and wait for her to come and get me. I need to know what's inside of me."

"Rinoa, I can't answer that for you-" Squall began, but Rinoa cut him off as she took another step forward.

"I'm not asking you to hold up a diagram and give me a lecture on the magic burning inside of me," she snapped stubbornly. "I just want you to come with me to the research tent so I can see if there are any records of magic in Centra."

"Rinoa, Centra was a city of immortals," Squall sighed. "It was a city that floated in the sky like heaven itself. Of course there was magic-"

"Then let me find out what it is!" Rinoa insisted. "Maybe I can find something to help," she stammered out. "Maybe...maybe I can find a way to get Quistis back without hurting her or...or even sacrificing myself."

"Rinoa, I've spent a decade awake looking for a way to keep you alive when we defeat Ultimecia!" Squall exclaimed. "And even then the plans weren't flawless! Now things have gone completely hay wire. What makes you think that a few hours of research will get you the answers you need?!"

Immediately, Squall regretted his harsh words as Rinoa's eyes welded up in tears. She took a deep breath as she glared at him. "Because..." she hissed in a low voice as she walked past him. "Because I NEED to."

Squall's eyes were down cast as he shook his head. "Let's go."

* * *

Seifer finally got off the fallen pillar he had been sitting on. He watched the sunset peaking through the horizon for a few moments before he stood up and headed back. Each step he took was heavy with burden as he walked up the stairs. All he could think about was Quistis begging him in his dream. Her terrified face streaked with tears burned a hole in his heart as he reached the camp.

Could he really bring himself to give Rinoa in exchange for Quistis? To do so would be to betray Squall, a life long friend. He couldn't understand it. Even when Quistis was killed by Ultimecia, using Rinoa's own hands, he didn't hold any animosity towards her. She was a victim, just like Quistis and Selphie. But now, Rinoa was the key to getting Quistis back.

As he saw the tents ahead of him, his mind wandered to another thought. WAS Quistis really asking him to trade her best friend's life for hers? If she was, it wouldn't make any sense. Quistis would die before asking Rinoa to lay down her life for her. Seifer closed his eyes as his head began to pulse with a headache. Annoyed, he trekked up the rest of the hill.

He looked around and the lights in the research tent on. As he approached it, he saw Squall sitting on a chair, his arms crossed and looking wary of everything around him. Seifer walked up the wooden steps to the research tent and Squall looked up from where he was sitting.

Seifer gave him a smirk. "I thought you'd be happy to see me seeing as how I didn't run away." Seifer said with a grin.

Squall merely turned his head to the side. "Whatever."

Seifer followed his gaze to Rinoa. The young woman was sitting at a work desk, her shoulders hunched over as a heavy book was placed in front of her. From what Seifer could tell, the book was extremely old. It's pages were almost falling apart, but Rinoa was not hindered by them. She merely, continued to read the old ancient text as if she were a child caught up in reading a fairy tale.

"Got anything for head aches?" Seifer asked Squall suddenly. The brunette looked up at him and nodded.

"What? Did you go out and get drunk?" Squall retorted. He got up and headed towards the back of the room where he kept some of his supplies.

"Rinoa," Seifer said as casually as he could. "What are you reading?"

"I'm looking for a way to save Quistis," Rinoa said sternly. Seifer felt his heart being stabbed. She turned around to look at him, her eyes matching the worry in his. "I'm worried about her, too, Seifer. Ultimecia is after me, not Quistis. I won't let her do anything to Quistis again," She winced slightly at the word and Seifer guessed that she already knew what had happened in her previous life. Rinoa closed her eyes tightly to try and repress the tears. "I'll save Quistis."

Her voice was shaking, but filled with conviction. Seifer watched as she turned her back to him and continued to concentrate on what she was reading. From the corner of his eye, he saw something white flying towards him and turned just in time to catch a small white container of pills.

Squall sat back at his desk and Seifer took out two pills. He put the bottle on the counter and gave the remaining couple one last look before he left. He tossed back the pills and paused at the bottom of the steps. He turned around and headed back up.

"She came to me last night!" he exclaimed suddenly. Squall looked up at him and Rinoa whirled around, looking interested. Seifer looked directly at Rinoa. "Quistis came to me in my dream..." he told her breathlessly.

Rinoa's eyes went wide. "What did she say?" she encouraged.

Seifer looked from Squall to Rinoa. "She said that she can...that Ultimecia will let her go if..." he paused and looked down at the ground. "If you're willing to...meet with Ultimecia."

"Meet with her!?" Squall growled.

"Wait!" Rinoa said before Squall could accuse Seifer of becoming a traitor. "All I have to do is meet with Ultimecia?"

Seifer slowly nodded his head and lifted it up to look at her. "Ultimecia might try to get you, but...if we act fast enough, she won't be able to."

Rinoa looked at Squall, who was shaking his head. "That's too dangerous." he stated simply.

"She said it was the only way!" Seifer gasped out.

"Squall!" Rinoa added, turning to him. "Please, give this a shot!"

"Rinoa, it's obviously a trap!" Squall said. "She's using Seifer to get to you-"

"I don't CARE if it's a trap!" Rinoa said. "I want Quistis back! And Seifer has a point - if we act fast enough, she shouldn't get me, right!?"

Squall closed his eyes and let out a deep breath. "I don't know...we've never dealt with something like this before-"

"Squall," Rinoa pleaded as she knelt down in front of him. "I'm not asking to go alone. All I'm asking is a chance to get my best friend back. She'd do the same for me, Squall..."

Squall stared into Rinoa's chocolate eyes for a long moment. Slowly, he turned his head away. "Find out all you can about your powers," he said in a low voice. "We'll find a way to keep Ultimecia away from you."

Rinoa let out a breath of relief. "Thank you-"

"Don't thank me," Squall said as he stood up angrily. He glared at Seifer, as if blaming him for putting Rinoa in danger. "Let's go." he hissed.

Seifer nodded and followed Squall outside. Without another word, Rinoa returned to her books. After they were out of the research tent's hearing, Seifer looked over at Squall. "I'm surprised you let her-"

Before Seifer had a chance to finish his sentence, Squall whirled around. Seifer didn't even see the black leather gloved fist coming as it slammed into his face.


	13. Daring Moves

**Mythology**  
_Chapter Thirteen: Daring Moves_  
By PasifiKStaR

**Author's Note**: People have been so nice with the reviews! Thank you all so much, you have no idea how much I appreciate it! I'm really happy that you guys are enjoying what I wrote. :::hugs::: I WILL complete this fic (Aiming for 15 chapters)! So don't worry!!

All Standard Disclaimers Apply: I do not own Final Fantasy.

* * *

Sweat dripped down her face was she rested tiredly against an old throne. Her chest rose and fell with each tired breath. Her pale locks of hair was pasted to her scalp as her slender fingers dug into the soft marble of the cushion less throne. Slowly, blue eyes opened as hot, salty tears fell from them and mingled with her sweat.

What had she done? She had allowed her body to be used as a tool for one insane creature's quest for power. Not that she could've done anything about it, but she felt dirty and disgusted with herself. She felt weak, powerless, and pathetic.

"Calm down, young queen," a treacherous voice echoed in her mind. Quistis' tear-filled blue eyes narrowed as her teeth gritted. "No need to wear yourself out."

"What are you doing to me!?" Quistis hissed breathlessly.

"Your body is too weak to contain me," Ultimecia replied coolly. "Each time I use your body to project my powers, it weakens."

"So you're killing me?" Quistis gasped out. She closed her eyes as she felt her lungs burn within her chest.

"Not purposely, trust me," Ultimecia sighed. "A host as weak as you can only hold me for so long. I need to get into the body of a gifted one."

Quistis sneered slightly. "What happens if you I keep you from her and you don't get to her before my body dies?"

"Then I will abandon your body before your death to find another host," Ultimecia replied easily. "Switching from host to host isn't nearly has difficult as you think. They just have to be close enough. As a matter of fact, I can very easily take control of your body, seduce the young king, and the moment his lips touch yours, I can transfer myself into him."

"Seduce the young...!" Quistis' eyes flew open. "Stay away from him!" she screamed protectively.

"Well, jealous much?" the voice laughed. Quistis winced as the voice echoed in her head, making her mind pound with each tone. "Be glad that I'd use your body to seduce him rather than another's."

"Stay away from Seifer!" Quistis growled viciously.

"And why should I? I thought you said you don't like him." the voice scoffed.

Quistis let out an annoyed growl as she stomped her feet weakly on the ground. "Damn you! You know the truth! You said so yourself!" Quistis nearly sobbed as struggled to keep the vision of HER Seifer being deceived and being used as she was. "How could you? You know he'd gladly fall into the illusion and give his everything..." she whispered in a low, bitter voice.

"Which makes him just as easy a target as you," Ultimecia replied. "But don't worry. Like I said, he'll do anything to get you back. Even turn in the lover of a life long friend."

Quistis closed her eyes tightly as she bit her lip and leaned back against the throne. "I..." she whispered softly. "I hate you..."

* * *

Seifer stumbled back, his hand over his left cheek as he lifted his head and looked back up at Squall. He narrowed his eyes, but made no attempt to fight back. He stood there, a few paces from the furious brunette. His shoulders heaved up and down as he sent Squall a look of contempt.

"An eye for an eye?" Squall spat out. "Is that your plan, YOUR HIGHNESS? Rinoa for Quistis? My love for YOURS!?"

"She came to me in a dream," Seifer replied as calmly as he could as he suppressed the anger that flooded him. "She said-"

"It's a fucking trap!" Squall growled.

"Do you think I'm blind!?" Seifer growled back as his hands flew to his sides. "Look around you! Do you see another alternative!? You said so yourself - we have no idea where the hell Ultimecia took Quistis! And unless you want YOUR Rinoa to play the part of a fucking sitting duck, just waiting for Ultimecia to strike, you'll go along with this plan!"

"Plan!?" Squall hissed, his eyes cold and narrowed as he took a step towards Seifer. "What PLAN!? We'll turn in Rinoa and just before something happens, we spring into action!? And what the hell are we going to do, Seifer? What are we going to fight!? HOW are we going to fight!?"

"It was YOUR job to come up with a way to destroy that damn sorceress!" Seifer retorted proudly. "That's why you were awakened earlier! It's not my fault that you have no clue how to protect the woman you say you love!"

Fury blinded Squall as he grabbed Seifer by the collar and brought it forward. "Don't you EVER question how much I love Rinoa," Squall growled behind gritted teeth. Usually icy blue eyes were swirling with animalistic hate as he shoved Seifer away. "It was YOUR Quistis who skewed the plans! Even if we did find a away, it would be of no use now!"

"Don't put the blame on her!" Seifer yelled as he shoved Squall back angrily. "You're the fucking star reader! You should've known what the hell was going to happen!"

"Don't push me, Seifer-"

"Squall! Seifer!" a voice shouted in the distance. Green eyes remained locked with blue eyes as the two men fell into silence as Zell ran towards them. As he reached them, he slowed to a stop. The tension between two life long friends was thicker than it had ever been and Zell kept at a safe distance away.

"What is it." Squall stated in a stern voice.

Zell swallowed nervously as he looked from Seifer to Squall and back. "Fujin and Raijin will be here in a few minutes..." he said nervously. "What's going on?"

"We have a change of plans, chicken-wuss," Seifer spat out as he broke his glaring match with Squall and looked over at Zell. "Where are the other two?"

Zell tilted his head to the side. "Other two...oh, Selphie and Irvine," Zell said. He took a deep breath and scratched the back of his head. "Selphie wanted to go down to the ruins to get something from the tomb. Irvine went with her."

Seifer nodded his head and turned over to Squall. "Are you done being a whiny bitch?" Seifer asked, a hint of annoyance still in his voice. Squall sent him one of his patented death glares before whirling around and marching to his tent.

"Squall!?" Zell called up. Squall ignored the smaller blonde's calls and Zell turned to Seifer. "What's going on?" he persisted.

"We're walking into a trap," Seifer said coolly as he walked in the opposite direction. "Go get Selphie and Irvine." he added before he disappeared into the shadows.

Zell narrowed his eyes and frowned. "What the hell am I? Your errand boy!?" He growled before turning around and walking down the path. "Stupid blonde jerk...What the hell does Quistis see in him..."

* * *

"I know I saw it here..." Selphie said as she nimbly climbed over some fallen pieces of the stone walls. She brushed off her knees as she stood up in the main chamber of the Chamber of the Dead. Her head was tilted up as she shined her flash light around the ceiling.

Irvine slid down next to her and gracefully landed on his butt. He let out a yelp and Selphie turned and shined her flash light on him. She giggled as she watched him frown and get up. "Thanks for the assistance, darlin'." He sighed with a roll of his eyes.

Selphie giggled some more and winked. "No problem," she said. She turned her head back to the top of the walls and shined her light against the faded frescos. "Let's see..."

"So what are we looking for?" Irvine said as he stood up and brushed off his pants and followed Selphie's gaze. He lifted his own flash light and shone it around. "A weapon? A book? Some sort of magic wand?"

"Nope," Selphie said as her eyes went along the pictures on the wall. "The ending to the story..." she murmured.

Irvine tilted his head to the side and frowned. "What?" he asked.

"Matron told us stories all the time when we were little kids," Selphie said as she took a step forward and squinted in the darkness. "She said they were myths from ancient Centra. Our favorite one is basically what you told me had happened in our past lives...it's the reason Quistis wanted to do an excavation here. It's the reason Rinoa and I came along."

"But you already know how that story ended," Irvine said with a frown. "The sorceress is sealed away after Squa-the temple boy kills the possessed girl."

Selphie nodded. "Yeah...but that wasn't the only myth she told us," Selphie said. She took a step to the side and turned. "The borders of this wall were painted with stories."

"Yeah, fairy tales, sort to speak," Irvine said coolly as he sat on a fallen alabaster column. He shined his light up to the top border of the wall in front of him. "Once upon a time, there was a knight..." he said as he looked over the pictures. "Who needed a master. Every kingdom he went to rejected him."

As he looked over the pictures and recited the story from heart, Selphie smiled slightly. "Keep going..." she urged as she continued looking at the pictographs.

"Okay..." Irvine replied. He took a deep breath. "Until one day, a great kingdom was attacked by a powerful woman. Everyone in the kingdom feared her and the knight tried his hand at protecting the kingdom. Then he came face to face with the woman himself and watched as she used her powers."

"And what did the knight see?" Selphie asked wandered deeper into the chamber.

Irvine slumped down slightly as his flash light lowered. "He saw her crying..." Irvine mumbled, as if remembering the story. "And he felt pity for her."

Selphie emerged from the room and let out a heavy sigh. "Why was she crying, Irvine?" Selphie said as she looked back at the frescos.

"I guess...she couldn't control her powers and couldn't stop her body from destroying the kingdom," Irvine said. "So the knight switched sides and allowed himself to be captured by the woman. His concern for her touched her so deeply, she turned normal again. Then they got married and lived happily ever after."

Selphie nodded her head and waved her hand. "Come here," she said. Irvine stood up and followed her into the room. She lifted the flash light up to the borders of the wall. "This is where he switches side..." she moved her flash light over a few feet. "And this is where they live happily ever after. What's missing?"

Irvine narrowed his eyes as he shone his flash light into the area in between the two panels. A large portion in between had been left empty. "How he got her to become normal..." he trailed off. He lifted his hand and scratched the back of his head. "Selphie, what does this have to do-"

"It's the MYTH, Irvy!" Selphie told him ecstatically. "The woman wasn't just some crazy out of control lady. She was a girl who was possessed by a sorceress! The knight...the knight isn't just some guy who fights, he's the restraint. He's what balances her out, what keeps her sane. Like the sheath to a blade."

Irvine stared at Selphie, confusion written all over his face. "I'm not catching on, Selph..."

Selphie sighed and ran her hand down her face. "When she met the knight, she was probably able to control her powers and balance herself thereby cleansing herself of the need to destroy!"

"All right..." Irvine nodded. Selphie looked up at him with expectation. "And then...?" Her face fell.

"IRVINE!" Selphie shouted. "I think that if we figure out what was on those missing panels, we can find out how exactly the knight was able to become her restraint and therefore save Rin and Quisty!"

Irvine let out a heavy sigh and nodded. "Selphie, where are we going to find those panels? It's been centuries and-"

Selphie was shaking her head. "Irvy, we don't NEED the actual panels. We just need to find out what's going on."

"And how are we going to do that?" Irvine asked.

Selphie's brilliant smile fell as she closed her eyes. "I don't know..." she admitted. She took a deep breath and looked back up at him with hopeful eyes. "But we can find out!" She turned off her flash light and grabbed on to Irvine's hand.

"Selphie, that's impossible-"

"No, it's not, Irvy," Selphie insisted. "Quistis used to say that all myths have some sort of basis in reality. Our favorite myth turned out to be our previous lives," she insisted. "And if there is a myth on how an evil sorceress was defeated without being killed, there has to be some truth in that. There has to be a way because it was done BEFORE."

"But I don't get it," Irvine said as he helped her climb out of the ruined building. "Why would that story be painted on our tomb walls?"

"It's symbolic, Irvine," Selphie told him. "It means that there is hope. My question is why is that panel missing."

"I think it was never painted," Irvine admitted. "The walls were too smooth. It wasn't chipped off and it couldn't have faded, we would've seen something faint. I don't think that the artist knew what to put there."

"The whole story must've been lost through time," Selphie mumbled. "Come on, let's get back up there!" She exited the temple ruins before Irvine. "I have to tell, Rin..." her voice trailed.

Irvine finally pulled himself out of the ruins and looked up as he brushed the dust off his pants. His eyes went wide as he saw Selphie standing a few feet in front of him. Her body was petrified as she stood in the moonlight cast shadow of a eerie familiar figure. Green eyes were wide and transfixed as Irvine stood rooted in his place.

"Shit..." he murmured. "Selphie!" his eyes immediately shot back to the petite brunette as he reached for her.

His split second movement was enough to attract the attention of the sorceress within Quistis' suspended body. Her arm shot forward and Irvine only saw a flash of light before being thrown backwards into the tomb.

* * *

Rinoa's head jerked up. Squall looked up at her sudden movement and narrowed his eyes. "Rin?" he asked questioningly. "What's wrong?"

"Selphie..." she began in a breathless voice.

Seifer snorted as he looked over one of the tablets. "Yeah, THERE'S something NEW." he retorted sarcastically.

Rinoa shook her head and stood up off her seat. "No...something's wrong," Rinoa said. Her eyes darted to the door way of the research tent. "Selphie and Irvine went to the ruins, right?" she said as she began to head towards the exit.

Squall narrowed her eyes and stood in her way. "Rinoa, where are you going? You have to finish-"

"Squall, something is wrong!" Rinoa snapped, frustrated. Her brown eyes lifted to meet his defiantly. "Squall, I sensed something-"

"Chicken-wuss already went down there to get them," Seifer assured her. "Just get back to studying."

Rinoa turned and shot him a glare. "Ugh! Don't you GET it?" Rinoa snapped. "Something happened! I know it!"

"What happened?" Squall asked calmly.

"I don't know!" Rinoa exclaimed, on the verge of pulling her hair out. Her eyes narrowed painfully as she looked past Squall. "Squall, please! I know something is wrong!"

Before she could continue to argue, someone's voice cut through. Squall turned his head and nodded as two figures came up the road. Seifer stood up straight from where he was leaning against a counter and walked towards the door briskly. "Hey! About damn time!"

Fujin rolled her eyes as she entered the tent. Raijin was behind her, carrying a stack of papers. She nodded to Squall and Rinoa. "Brought results."

"Lay them out," Squall commanded easily. Raijin nodded as he began to place the stacks in neat piles along the far counter. Squall looked over him, briefly taking his eyes off Rinoa. As he turned his head back to her, he realized she was no longer standing in front of him. "Rinoa!?" he called out. He whirled around and saw her fleeting body running down the hill. Swearing, he dashed out of the tent after her.

Seifer shook his head. "She never did listen..." he sighed. He looked over the papers that the other two had brought. "Show me what you've got."

* * *

Zell hummed to himself as he walked down the path. Selphie had told him that they were going to be in the Chamber of the Dead. He mulled over the name given to their tombs as he walked. It's kind of morbid... but I guess it's fitting...I bet Quistis came up with it. It sounds so classic.

Up ahead of him, he saw the shape of the tomb and the crumbled stone ruins in front of it. Calmly, he walked closer. As he reached the entry way, he paused. Something felt wrong, but he couldn't pin point it. He narrowed his blue eyes and slowly slipped into the tomb.

"Selphie!?" he called into the darkness. "Irvine!? You two in here!?" There was no answer and Zell jumped into the tomb. He moved out of the way of the entrance, hoping that more light would be let in. I should've brought a flash light with me... he thought to himself.

He took one step and felt his foot hit something. "Ugh..."

Zell's eyes went wide as he knelt down and saw the body laying face down on the ground, a cowboy hat tossed several feet away. "Irvine!?"

* * *

"Rinoa!" Squall shouted as he ran down the pathway after her. He frowned, unable to believe that such a fragile girl could be so damn fast. He saw Rinoa running ahead of him, obviously ignoring his calls. "Rinoa! Hold on!" he shouted. Dammit! She could at least wait for someone to go with her!

He slid down a path that was lined with rubble. Dust was kicked into the air as he stopped and turned the corner. "Irvine! Zell, what happened!?" Rinoa's voice shouted ahead of him.

Squall frowned and sped up. He turned the corner and stopped directly behind Rinoa. "Help me carry him up!" Zell pleaded as he dragged the heavier man up the path way.

Rinoa's eyes narrowed as she turned to glare at Squall accusingly. "I told you..." she said in a low voice. She turned and looked over at Zell, worried. "Zell, what happened?" she asked in a shaking voice. "Where is Selphie?"

"Selphie..." Irvine gasped out tiredly. He looked up, his face matted with dirt. "Ultimecia..."

Rinoa's eyes went wide. "Where did they take her, Irvine!?" she demanded as Squall walked to the other side of Irvine and put his arm under his shoulder to help him stand. Irvine shook his head. "Irvine, where!?"'

"I don't know..." Irvine gasped out pitifully. He shook his head. "We went out..." he his breathing was shallow and strained. "She was...waiting...threw me into the tomb...Selphie...gone..." Irvine's eyes rolled back and his head fell forward. He had passed out.

"Let's get him back to the camp!" Squall said. He looked over at Rinoa, whose eyes were looking past them at the ruins. "Rinoa!" he shouted. She looked over at him with narrowed eyes before looking back at the ruins. "Let's go back." he insisted.

Rinoa lifted her chin and swallowed slightly as she blinked, trying to hold back the tears that threatened to fall. "I'll get them back!!" she screamed into the night. Zell turned to look at her as he helped Squall drag Irvine up the path. "Do you hear me, bitch!?" Rinoa screamed furiously. "You won't get away with this!!"

Deep within the ruins of Ancient Centra, a woman sat on a throne as a young woman's pale body floated in front of her. A thin stream of hazy white smoke was trailing from her mouth to the mouth of the floating girl's. Behind dark lashes, a pair of blood red eyes opened as ruby lips curled into a smirk.

"I'll be waiting..."

* * *

"The sun is rising," a deep voice said as he turned his head to look into the eastern horizon. "Look at the sky..."

"Laguna, now isn't the time..." Kiros sighed. "Let's just give Squall his gunblade."

Laguna nodded and followed them up the hill. In the distance, he could see the tents. One in particular seemed to be projecting the voices of people. He looked down at his hand, which was carrying a medium sized black box. Quietly, he squeezed the black plastic carrying handle.

The warm glow of the lights within the tent ahead of them as they stepped into it's shadow. "Sir!" a voice shouted from within. Laguna, Kiros, and Ward looked up as they saw a few shadows congregate at the door way.

"Sir!" Seifer said as he walked outside with Raijin and Fujin. He bowed to the older man with respect as the three older immortals entered. "Welcome back to Centra!"

"Seifer," Laguna said cheerfully. "We brought the weapons," he added. Casually, he tried to look over Seifer's shoulder and into the tent, hoping to catch a glimpse of Squall. "Um...Squall...?"

"Rinoa!" a deep voice called from their left. The six people turned and saw a slim figure walking towards them. Her brown eyes were hazed over with anger as she marched towards the tent. Behind her, Squall followed, trying to calm her down. "Rinoa, you can't jump into this!"

"I already have!" Rinoa snapped back irritated. "First Quistis and now Selphie!" she exclaimed, desperately trying to hold back the heated tears of anger that threatened to fall. "I can't just sit here any more! Whose next? Zell? Irvine!? YOU!?"

"Rinoa!" Squall growled, growing frustrated with Rinoa's reaction.

"Squall!" Laguna shouted. Squall looked up, his eyes widened slightly in surprised, but quickly narrowed once again. Energetically, the long haired father took a few steps forward. "I brought your gunblade!"

Squall merely nodded as Rinoa stopped a few steps from Laguna and squinted suspiciously. Her eyes darted from Laguna, to Kiros, to Ward, and to Seifer, Raijin and Fujin, who seemed to know who those three men were. She studied them, waiting to be introduced to the three strangers. Fujin was the first to pick up on it and elbowed Raijin. He looked over to her and made an 'o' with his mouth.

"Rinoa, these men are from Esthar, ya know," Raijin began. "Kiros, Ward, and his royal highness Laguna Loire, ya know. Sirs, this is Rinoa Heartilly, ya know."

"Royal...Highness?" Rinoa mouthed quietly. She felt as if a block of information had just been dropped on her head.

Laguna smiled widely and handed Ward the box he was carrying so that he could greet Rinoa. "Rinoa Heartilly... this is our first time meeting," he said with a beaming smile. He extended his hand to her and she reluctantly took it. Without a second thought, his hand closed around hers and he pulled her into a tight hug. Rinoa's eyes went wide as behind her Squall scowled and sent a glare at Laguna. "You're everything they've said you were! Please, call me Laguna. I'm Squall's father."

Fa...fa... Rinoa's mind struggled to comprehend the news as she was let go. Her eyes were wide as she whirled around to look at Squall. "FATHER!?" she demanded.

Squall was still scowling at Laguna. "By blood," he stated plainly. "He abandoned me at the temple when I was a child."

Suddenly, it seemed that everyone had gone into the research tent except Rinoa, Squall, and Laguna. The air was thick as Rinoa turned back to Laguna. The older man had a sad look on his face. "Squall, please-" he began, but Squall walked past him briskly, not even giving him a second look.

"Did you bring my gunblade." he stated rather than asked as he walked up the steps to the tent. Laguna's eyes were cast down as he nodded.

"Ward is holding it." He replied softly. Squall was already in the tent and Rinoa followed him. Laguna took a deep breath before following them.

In the tent, Seifer was opening up a black case and smirked as he took out a long black gunblade. "Just like I left it..." he murmured.

"Squall, we brought you something that might help with the sorceress." Kiros said. Squall nodded as he took his gunblade's carrying case from Ward and put it out in the table. Kiros lifted the black case that Laguna had been carrying. He laid it down and unlocked the clasps. With a swift move, he lifted the top and turned it around so that the group could see it.

"What's that?" Seifer asked as he glanced over.

"A set of bracelets used to negate magical powers," Laguna said from the door way. He looked up, a serious look on his face. "I had one of researchers in Esthar put them together. If you get them on the sorceress, her powers will be useless."

Rinoa looked down at the bracelets that rested against a dark foam like material. Her eyes narrowed as she reached between Squall and Seifer and slammed the case closed. Everyone turned to look at her as she locked the case quickly. "No," she stated sternly. "I can't use these."

"What?" Kiros asked, looking confused. "But they'll give you the advantage-"

"No, it'll take away MY edge," Rinoa explained. "Forget it...you wouldn't understand." She shoved the case away from her and whirled around.

Seifer let out a heavy sigh. "Now where are you going!?" he exclaimed tiredly.

"I'm going to check on Irvine!" Rinoa said as she dashed out of the tent and down the steps.

"Rinoa!" Squall shouted. He ran out after her, but stopped at the bottom of the steps, watching her retreating back. "Damn..."

"Squall," Kiros' voice cut through Squall's frustration and he turned around to look up at the older man. "Care to fill us in?"

* * *

"Selphie..." Irvine winced as he gasped out her name in vain. "Selphie!" He gasped once more before having his eyes fly open.

"Whoa..." Zell said from the fold out chair he was sitting on next to Irvine's cot. He looked up from the book he was reading as Irvine scrambled to get up. "Irv-"

"Where's Selphie!?" Irvine demanded in a breathless whisper. Zell frowned and turned his eyes away from the other man. Irvine looked over at Zell, desperately hoping that the blond would tell him that Selphie was there, at the camp, safe with them. "Zell!" he shouted, trying to gain Zell's attention. "Where IS she!?"

Zell's face was downcast. "You...you know where..." he mumbled out.

Irvine's usually cool face crumbled as his fears were confirmed. He closed his eyes and ran one hand down his face. "Hyne...Selphie..."

"Zell, is Irvine awake yet?" a voice asked as the door to the tent was pushed aside and Rinoa walked in. She stopped in her tracks as she saw the two men before her. Zell was looking away from Irvine and the cowboy had a horrified look on his face. Rinoa closed her eyes and mentally swore, knowing that Zell had just told Irvine that Selphie was still missing. "Zell," she said as calmly as she could. "Can you please go down to the tent? Someone named Laguna is there with these two other men."

Zell stood up and nodded. "Watch him?" Zell asked sadly as he walked past her. Rinoa nodded. The blond male exited the tent, leaving Rinoa with Irvine.

She looked down at him sadly. "Irvine-"

"Why are we still here!?" the cowboy suddenly exclaimed. He looked up at Rinoa and she took a step back. He had a wild, unrestrained glint in his eyes. Something she never saw. Typically, Irvine seemed to be very calm and collected.

"Irvine, we don't know where-"

"Then why don't we find out!?" Irvine gasped as he threw off the blanket around his waist. "We shouldn't be sitting here! We should be combing the ruins!"

Rinoa narrowed her eyes, studying Irvine intensely. Was that how she looked when she was worried? Was that how Seifer looked? How SQUALL looked when she was first taken away. Irvine threw his legs over the edge of the cot and his arms shot down to either side of him to steady him. Rinoa rushed to his side and put her hands on his shoulders.

"Irvine, you can't-"

"Don't you understand!?" Irvine shouted as he looked up at her with burning frustration. "Selphie is OUT there!? Hyne knows what that whacked out sorceress could be doing to her! Don't you care about her!?"

Anger flashed through Rinoa's face as she lifted up her right arm. A firm back hand lashed over the left side of Irvine's face, sending the young man reeling back slightly. "My two best friends have just been kidnapped!" Rinoa exclaimed furiously. "One is possessed by a creature that was supposed to possess me and the other...Hyne knows what's going on with her! Do you think this makes me HAPPY!? I've been with them since I could fucking walk! They're like my sisters - MY FAMILY! So don't fucking ask me whether or not I fucking care!!"

Irvine slowly lifted up his hand and cupped his stinging cheek. He looked up at Rinoa and closed his eyes. "I'm sorry..." he mumbled. "I was just...scared," he admitted. "I know how much they mean to you. I know you care. I just..." His voice trailed off and he looked down at the ground.

Rinoa nodded. "I want them back, too..." she said. She knelt down in front of Irvine and met his eyes. "Which is why I need your help."

* * *

"Zell, what the hell are you doing back here?" Seifer snorted as he saw the other blond walk in. Zell shot him a glare.

"Rinoa asked me to come." he replied coolly.

"How's Irvine?" Laguna asked from where he was sitting next to Kiros.

"Not good," Zell admitted. "He woke up looking for Selphie...he's doing as good as any guy who was told that the girl he loved was missing."

Squall looked up from cleaning his gunblade and froze. "Did you leave Rinoa and Irvine alone?" he asked with narrowed eyes.

Zell nodded and Seifer snickered. "What? Afraid that the cowboy is going to steal her away?"

Squall ignored Seifer's comment as he put the gunblade down. "Zell, why!?" he roared.

Zell jerked his head back not expecting Squall to go ballistic on him all of a sudden. "What's the problem-"

"The problem is that she'll drag Irvine with her if she tries anything crazy!" Squall hissed.

"But Irvine wouldn't go along with it!" Zell argued. Everyone in the tent looked over at him and he thought for a moment. "Unless he was desperate to get Selphie back...shit."

Squall let out a growl as he closed the case on his gunblade and ran out of the tent.

* * *

"A knight?" Rinoa said as they sneaked along the cliff side carefully. It was the only other way to the ruins other than the main path. It was secluded enough that even in the breaking dawn, they would be hidden by the shadows of the jagged rocks that protruded from the path way.

"Selphie said that the sorceress went crazy because she couldn't control her powers without a knight," Irvine said. "The only question is how the sorceress and the knight link up to stop her from loosing her sanity."

Rinoa nodded in understanding. "Once we find out where they're hiding, we have to get back to tell the others." Rinoa told him. Irvine nodded hesitantly.

"I'm starting to think that coming down here on our own was a bad idea."

"It IS a bad idea," Rinoa said. "But Squall won't let me go anywhere NEAR the ruins until they figure this thing out. And I KNOW I can find out where Ultimecia is hiding with Quisty and Selphie if I just get close enough. Who knows when they'll find out how to exorcise the sorceress from Quistis? By then, it might be too late."

Irvine nodded, understandingly. He smirked slightly. "You know...Squall's going to kill me after this."

"Don't worry, I'll protect you," Rinoa chuckled slightly. "Hey, Irvine...Is Laguna really Squall's father?"

"Hmm? Ah, you've meet Mr. Cold and Heartless' charming father," Irvine said with a slight smirk. "Yes, Laguna is Squall's father."

"They're so different..." Rinoa said. "I was only around them for a little bit, but even I could sense that there was a big difference."

"Well...Squall doesn't like his father. The Emperor is kind of a hero to everyone except Squall-"

"Emperor!?" Rinoa gasped. She stopped in her tracks and looked at Irvine in shock. "Wait...I thought SEIFER was the Prince?"

"Seifer is the prince..." Irvine said as they continued on. "Of Centra...What you call Ancient Centra was built just before the destruction of Esthar."

"Esthar wasn't destroyed," Rinoa informed him. "It's still standing..."

Irvine shook his head. "There was another sky city called Esthar. It was the original city of immortals. But a sorceress was let loose and the then Prince of Esthar, Laguna, defeated her, but at the cost of the city."

"And Squall?" Rinoa asked.

"Laguna married Raine, Squall's mother, who was a volunteer nurse in the Estharian army during the war. He sent her to Centra so she could be safe from the battle as soon as he found out she was pregnant. Esthar's forces defeated the city just a few days before Squall was born, but before Laguna could go to Centra to see Raine, Raine died of birthing complications..." Irvine explained. "Even immortals can die from complications."

"So Squall was put into the care of the temple?" she concluded. Irvine nodded. "Why didn't Laguna ever come back for him?"

"He was stuck in Esthar trying to rebuild the fallen city," Irvine explained. "But it was impossible to raise a once immortal city back into the sky, so he tried to cultivate a civilization in the city that is now known as Esthar. Many immortals from Esthar intermarried with mortals and their offspring lost their immortality. Some immortals came to Centra."

"But all that time..." Rinoa insisted. "He couldn't have come back ONCE? Even if it was just to check up on Squall?" Irvine sensed bitterness in Rinoa's voice. He was aware of Rinoa's immortal past - her father was also out of her life.

"I don't know," Irvine said. "But Laguna loves Squall and Ellone."

"Ellone?"

"She's a prophet," Irvine explained. "Squall's adopted sister. She was kidnapped by the sorceress in Esthar from her Aunt Raine and Laguna went after her. She had been missing for quite some time after the sorceress was vanquished...that's probably what kept Laguna out of Squall's life. But Ellone and Squall are close."

Rinoa looked down at the ground. "There's so much I don't know about him..." she whispered.

Irvine smirked as they reached the borders of the ruin. "I barely found out about that when we were awoken. Squall's a very private person. You probably know more about him than we all do combined."

Rinoa smiled slightly and took one step into the city.

_"I'm waiting..."_

Rinoa froze in her step, her brown eyes wide. A cold chill shot through her body was she lifted her head. Suddenly, it seemed that her vision was pulled directly towards far center of the city. Past fallen columns, tumbled buildings, and minor structures. Past the walls and crumbled gates. Past the doors and into a dark room.

"Rinoa?" Irvine asked, concerned. He put a hand on Rinoa's shoulder and was instantly shocked. "Ah! Hey!" Immediately, Irvine retracted his hand and looked at it as if he were burned.

"Go get Squall and the others!" Rinoa said as her eyes looked directly ahead of her, as if transfixed by something standing right in front of her. "Go!"

"What!?" Irvine said. His eyes went wide as Rinoa was suddenly drawn forward, as if being pulled by an invisible force. "Rinoa!"

"Take them to the palace!" Rinoa shouted over her shoulder as she allowed herself to be dragged forward. Her speed to the center of the city slowly sped up. "She's waiting for me!"

"Rinoa!" Irvine yelled. He took a step forward and was practically electrocuted. "AHH!!"

"Irvine, GO!" Rinoa ordered as she disappeared into the city. "Tell them about the knight! Tell them that she's in the palace!"

"Shit!" Irvine yelled. He glared at the force field that seemed to encase the entire city. He narrowed his eyes at the ruins before turning around and running towards the path way back to the camp. First Quistis, then Selphie, and NOW Rinoa. Squall was going to kill him, he was sure of it.

"IRVINE!!!" a voice echoed through the desert as Irvine reached the mid point of the path. He looked up and saw Squall skidding towards him with a trail of dust behind him. Zell was running after him, probably for damage control.

"Squall!" Irvine yelled. "Rinoa-"

"Where is she!?" Squall growled, his eyes burning with rage.

"Ultimecia drew her into the city!" Irvine told him breathlessly. "She knows where she's hiding! She said she's in the palace-"

"You let her go into the palace!?" Squall growled angrily.

"No! Listen! Rinoa made me come down with her so she could try to find out where they were," Irvine gasped out. "But the moment she set foot into the city, it was like she was being carried off and she said to tell you to find them in the palace and to tell you about the knight."

"KNIGHT!?" Zell exclaimed, as if Irvine had completely lost it.

"Rinoa!" Squall shouted as he slid down.

"Squall, there's a force field around the city!" Irvine yelled. "I couldn't get in! We need a way to break it first!"

Squall eyes narrowed as he looked over a the ruins. His mind began to sort all options and his best bet was to return, get his gunblade, and then get back to the ruins. Without another word, he ran past Irvine and Zell. "Where are you going!?" Zell shouted.

"To get some tools!"

* * *

Rinoa felt the wind rush past her face as she was drawn deeper and deeper into the city. The closer she got to the palace, the more she began to notice the look of her surroundings. More and more buildings were in tact, as if magically built over night. SHE did this... Rinoa reasoned.

Up ahead of her, the palace doors were opened and waiting for her. Her heart raced as she stopped before the doors. Her eyes took in the magnificence of the seemingly reconstructed building.

_Come in..._

Rinoa stiffened as she felt the omnipotent voice surround her. She swallowed and looked into the dark hall way. She straightened her body and stepped in.

Against the marble floors, her boots sounded. They echoed into the hall way as a distant memory served to lead her in the correct direction. After a seemingly endless walk, she stopped before a massive set of stone double doors. Each was intricately carved with a garden scene. Before she could make out any more, the doors opened silently.

Her blood froze in her veins as the darkened room illuminated slightly and revealed a familiar blond woman sitting on a stone throne encrusted with gold. Floating vertically next to her was a pale, skinny figure topped with brown hair. Rinoa immediately recognized them and rushed in.

"Welcome back," the voice echoed through the room and hit her directly in her mind. Rinoa stopped immediately and winced. She looked up at the throne where Quistis' body was held captive. "Do you like what I've done with the place?"

Rinoa narrowed her eyes. Quistis' mouth didn't move. Rather, the voice surrounded her. The blonde's head lifted slowly and eyes that were formerly blue opened to reveal glowing red orbs. Rinoa's hands became fists at her side as she took another daring step forward. Fear melted from her body was she saw the condition her two life long friends were in. Anger flooded her veins and she gritted her teeth.

"Give me back my friends."


	14. Immortal Tears

**Mythology**  
_Chapter Fourteen: Immortal Tears_  
By PasifiKStaR

**Author's Note**: Beware of momentary RinoaxQuistis kiss. It's confusing and mostly rambling, I'm sorry about that. It's long and boring, but I tried. And now...the (sort of, but not really) climax...

All Standard Disclaimers Apply: I do not own Final Fantasy.

* * *

_ "Sis...I can't go to sleep..." Squall yawned tiredly as he rubbed his eye and walked into the palace bedroom that his 'sister' occupied._

A young Ellone looked up from her bed, where she was laying on her stomach reading a story book. She smiled slightly as she saw Squall stand by the door way, looking quite sleepy despite his accusation. "What's wrong, Squall?" she asked softly. "Are you having a nightmare?"

"Close." Squall replied with a yawn.

Ellone frowned. "Is Seifer's over night party not doing well?" Ellone asked. The young woman, whose precise guardianship belonged to one Emperor of Esthar, had been staying at the Centran palace for a year. Her special gifts were being cultivated by the greatest minds of all of Centra under the patronage of King Cid.

On that night, the young Prince Seifer, a orphan adopted by King Cid and his wife Queen Edea, had a birthday party that had lasted that whole day. At night, his closest friends would stay over with him at the palace before going on a day trip around the lower, otherwise known as mortal, Centra below the massive immortal city.

Seifer had just turned eight and considered himself an adult compared to his seven year old friends. Except for perhaps Irvine, the first born son of one of the famed Centran Janissaries. But that night, they should have been all in Seifer's room. Instead, Squall was standing at her door way.

"Seifer is making Zell cry and Irvine keeps talking about the girl he kissed in the stables yesterday. I can't get any sleep." He explained.

Ellone nodded. "Why don't I come over and tell you all a story?"

Squall seemed to think for a while before nodding in agreement. The other boys seemed to respect Ellone just as much as he did. The little girl reached over for her light blue over robe and put them over her sleeping attire before slipping into some sandals and following the young boy out of the room.

They went down the hall to the other end, where Seifer's massive bedroom was. Inside, she could hear Zell's cries of anguish, Seifer's taunting, Irvine's chattering, and the occasional 'ya know' from a young Raijin. Ellone didn't bother knocking, she just pushed one of the larger doors open and stepped in. "Sis!" Fujin cried out. The only girl of the group and a niece of the Queen's, rushed over and hugged the older girl around the waist. "Too loud!" she said, pointing to the little boys she had joined.

Ellone sighed tiredly. "No wonder you couldn't get any sleep..." she said, looking over at Squall, who nodded in his plain white sleeping shirt and shorts. She looked back at the group. Seifer was standing on his bed, dressed in bright red sleeping attire while Zell in a black and red shirt and shorts was sitting at the foot of the bed, gripping a pillow and seemingly aiming it at Seifer's head.

Irvine was dressed in what looked like clothes from the military barracks' night wear and Raijin was sitting next to him on a large floor pillow, dressed in similar clothes. Fujin herself was also dressed like them, having opted for their 'cooler' boys' clothes than her stuffy night gown.

"Sis!" Irvine said, throwing her a casual wink. "What brings you to the party!?"

"Sis, Seifer's being a...a...a poop head!" Zell shouted at the same time.

"What!?" Seifer growled. "I am YOUR PRINCE!" he yelled before swinging and pillow at Zell.

"SIS!!!" Zell cried.

"Enough!" Ellone shouted. "Get into your sleeping bags! I'm going to tell you a story!"

"Cool, ya know!" Raijin shouted as he scrambled for his military issued sleeping bag.

"What!?" Seifer protested. He wrinkled his nose as he fell back against his bed. Zell, Irvine, Squall, and Fujin all got into their sleeping bags and in Fujin's case, a small portable bed. "WHY!? I was having fun making chicken-wuss cry!"

"Poop head!" Zell yelled back.

Ellone ran her hand down her face. "Your highness, please sit," Ellone told him. "Just listen patiently to my story. If you like it, you will go to sleep after it is told."

"And if we don't?" Seifer challenged proudly while still crawling into bed.

"Then you can continue on with whatever you were doing," she informed him. Seifer seemed to think it over and nodded his head in agreement. "Excellent. Now...what should I tell you?"

"Action!" Zell shouted.

"Adventure!" Irvine and Raijin chorused.

"With crazy people!" Seifer added energetically. Ellone rolled her eyes as Squall shot Seifer an annoyed look.

"Just let sis tell the story!" he snapped.

"Fine..." Seifer snorted. "Ellone! You have my royal permission to continue with your story. Commence with the tale!"

He is going to be a very corny young man... Ellone mulled over. She shook her head and looked over the group. "Once upon a time, in a far away land where immortals were said to have originated, there was young, beautiful woman..."

"Whoo-hoo! Ladies!" Irvine grinned.

"SHUT UP!" a chorus of voices yelled. Ellone smirked and chuckled.

"She was a very special young woman for she had magical abilities. As she grew older, her abilities became more and more powerful, but she could not control them. Afraid that she would be taken away or feared as a monster, she hid her powers... 

* * *

"We found a few things in Deling City on the sorceress, ya know," Raijin said as he laid out some notes that he had Fujin had diligently transcribed. "We had to get special access to certain files, ya know. There were some scrolls and tablets we couldn't even touch with our bare hands, ya know."

"Strict guidelines." Fujin added.

"I see..." Kiros nodded. "So what do you have so far?"

"Well, there seems to be some sort of limiter that the sorceress has to bond with in order to control her powers, ya know," Raijin explained. "The oldest things we could get our hands on said that the limiter has to have a bond with the sorceress, ya know."

"Why?" Laguna asked as he peered over the table at the papers.

"Because then the limiter has access to her mind and can help control the chaos, ya know." Raijin added.

"Why?" Laguna persisted.

"Because the sorceress' mind in chaotic. It's what makes her insane." Kiros explained.

Laguna nodded and paused. He looked from the notes back up to the group of five standing across the table. Kiros was rubbing his chin as Ward loomed in the corner. Seifer was going over the notes with Raijin and Fujin. Laguna tilted his head. "Why?"

"Because she can't control her powers. That's why she's crazy." Kiros sighed.

Laguna nodded and paused once more. "Why-"

"We don't KNOW why!" Seifer exclaimed tiredly. "IF we KNEW why she couldn't control her powers, she wouldn't be insane and trying to kill those girls!" He slammed his hands on the table and glared across the table. "Does that answer your question!?"

Laguna seemed to shrink back slightly and winced. He swallowed nervously and allowed his eyes to dart across the table. "Um...actually, I wanted to know why it's taking Squall and the others so long to check on Rinoa..."

Seifer nearly fell backwards. "You've got to be kidding me..." he mumbled.

"You have a point, Laguna," Kiros agreed as he perked his head up and looked out the door. "Irvine's tent shouldn't be too far. It shouldn't be taking them this long."

"You think they might be in trouble!?" Laguna gasped. "Let's go-!"

"Hold it!" Seifer barked, making Laguna stop before he could rush outside. "Give them a few more minutes. I'm sure that everything is fine-"

"Rinoa's been taken!" a huffing voice shouted outside. Seifer's head dropped.

"It just keeps getting WORSE and WORSE..." he grumbled. He jerked his head up and tossed down the pencil he was holding angrily on the table as he walked around Ward and headed towards the exit of the tent. Behind him, the others abandoned their notes and followed.

Zell was running up the path way, with a gasping Irvine behind him, and Squall quickly passing the both of them. Zell looked like he was in panic as Irvine looked up worriedly at the group. Squall carried a cold look on his face as tight lips frowned.

"What happened?" Fujin said, a displeased look on her face. From their looks, she could already tell what had happened. Irvine had gone with Rinoa, Zell and Squall went to get them, Rinoa had been captured.

"We went into the ruins," Irvine said, solidifying Fujin's assumptions. "Rinoa wanted to try to sense where the sorceress was and out of no where, she was...DRAGGED into the city!" Irvine stammered. His eyebrows knitted in frustration as he tried to find the words the describe the ordeal. "She was still all of a sudden and then it was like someone grabbed her and dragged her into the ruins!"

"Then what are you three doing here!?" Laguna gasped, his eyes wide. "We should be down there trying to save them!" he insisted. He took a step forward, but Kiros held him back knowingly.

"The ruins are being shielded by magic," Squall said as he rushed into the tent, nearly knocking over Zell, who had run in before him. He immediately headed for the corner that had been designated as his field clinic. "We can't get in."

"Magic?" Seifer snorted. "Shit! How the hell are we going to get through!?"

"Are you forgetting what I am?" Squall spat out as he knelt down over a large chest and unlatched it. He lifted up the lid and began to dig through the packages of medical equipment to a small black box underneath it all.

Irvine squinted as he entered the tent. "Squall, are you serious? You haven't done that in centuries!"

"What if you're too weak to do it?" Zell added. "Or you forgot!?"

"It's not something you forget," Squall replied as he took out the box and placed it on the table. He unlocked it quickly and looked at it's contents for a moment. "...I never thought I'd use these again."

"Holy magic?" Laguna asked. He looked up at Squall hesitantly. "You learned at the temple?"

Squall didn't reply as he slammed the box and put it under his arm. He grabbed his gunblade and headed out the door. "Irvine, go over what you found out with Selphie with them then you and Zell can come down to the ruins!" Squall ordered.

Irvine nodded and looked over at Raijin and Fujin. "I have something to tell you guys. I think you'll find it quite interesting."

"Wait a second!" Seifer shouted suddenly, stopping Squall from continuing on. The brunette turned around and glared at the blond for holding him up. Seifer jogged down the step, a black gun blade gripped tightly in his hands. "Think I'd let you go and play hero without me?" he smirked.

"Well, I've always done it better." Squall replied coolly. Without another word, the two men ran back down the path, leaving several people by the research tent.

Fujin immediately looked over at Irvine. "What info?" she nearly demanded.

Irvine took a deep breath. "Ever heard of a sorceress' knight?"

* * *

"You mean these two?" Rinoa twitched at the mocking tone that Ultimecia's voice carried as she spoke. "You're free to do as you wish with them once the exchange has been made."

"Exchange?" Rinoa asked, her eyes narrowed as she stood there.

"You friends for your body," Ultimecia explain. She smiled sinisterly, twisting Quistis' usually elegant smile into a sneer. "I'll even let you live this time."

"What makes you think that I'll actually give myself up? You've killed me once before. How can I be sure that you won't do it again?" Rinoa asked bitterly.

"Call it an insurance measure," the sorceress smirked. "As long as you live inside the body that I control, I doubt your knight in shining armor is will have the gall to kill your body as he did all those centuries ago."

Rinoa's eyes narrowed. "So I'm just a safety precaution for you..." she hissed. "You underestimate me. I won't let you control me again."

"You have strong gifts, I will not lie to you," Ultimecia admitted. "However..." Glowing red eyes coasted up Rinoa's body, studying her every inch and making her shiver under their gaze. "You can give a boy a sword, but that doesn't mean he knows how to wield it."

"Why are you doing this?" Rinoa snapped suddenly. "Why the hell are you doing all of this!? What the hell is wrong with you!?"

"Me?"

"We never did ANYTHING to you!" Rinoa hissed as she took a step forward. "All you cause is wonton destruction! Even if you do you possess me, you won't get away with it! I'm still mortal through and through! My body will age and you won't have a tool forever!"

"Is that what you think?" Ultimecia laughed. "My dear...you are very much immortal. As long as you are not killed by another immortal, you will live. Your aging will all but cease. As a matter of fact...you will be my immortal weapon."

"No!" Rinoa screamed. "Lair! I'm not immortal! I'm mortal! I'm not what you think I am-"

"An immortal soul born into a mortal body is enough to make them immortal, do you understand?" the sorceress asked coolly. "You cannot escape me. Anywhere you hide, I will find you. I will keep jumping from host to host until I find you. They will die because you choose to run from me. Is that what you want? To be the cause of all these needless deaths?"

"You're one to talk!" Rinoa snapped. "You're the cause of all this! You want to use my body and destroy the world!"

Chuckling developed in the woman's voice. Soon, laughter echoed through the walls and pillars of the room, shaking Rinoa's core. "I don't want to destroy the world," Ultimecia explained. "I want to control it. Shape it. Change it. Look around you and all you find is hate. So much hate for what is different. Wars are started amongst groups. Blood is shed because someone looks different from another. Children are killed because someone acts different from another...I'm not going to destroy the world. I'm going to CHANGE it."

Rinoa's eyes narrowed. "You're insane..."

"There is a place long before Esthar and long before Centra," Ultimecia continued with her story, as if lost in a distant memory. "Where immortals once lived in peace. All immortals were equal and there was no hierarchy in this utopia. And then one day...a girl showed evidence of breaking the balance. She had certain...powers...Powers that made her different from everyone else..."

* * *

_She tried so hard to hide her powers. For the sake of herself and her family. But people found out. The other immortals discovered her powers. Many grew jealous and wanted the powers for themselves. At first, she tried to deny her gifts, but soon found that it was futile to. Then the eventful day came when she and her mother were attacked by immortals jealous of her gifts._

Fear and panic spread through her body, alarming her to no end. Her mother was dragged away, kicking and screaming as she tried to call the attention off her daughter. At last, the angry immortals silenced her mother. Before her very eyes, one immortal had killed another. Horrified at first, she quickly grew angry. Without warning she unleashed her powers and destroyed the immortals who had attacked them.

Word soon spread of the gifted immortal's powers and how she had used them to kill other immortals. Fear spread through the immortal populace. Soon, she could no longer set foot into the hamlet where she used to go through freely. Instead, she found herself hidden in a secluded home in the hills. But being a free spirit, she could not lock herself away forever and eventually ventured outside.

She thought that perhaps the other immortals did not know that she had been attacked. Or that her attackers had killed her mother. Or that she did not mean to kill them, but she could not control herself. Sadly, her thoughts were crushed as she was shunned by the other immortals. Children threw things at her and taunted her as she walked through the streets of what used to be her home.

Women whispered behind closed doors with each other as men watched her warily. Nasty names were applied to her as she made her way through. She couldn't go through with it any more and returned home in tears. Her only family left, her younger brother, tried to comfort her. He knew that she did not mean to hurt anyone.

He took it upon himself to try to speak to the other immortals and clear his sister's name. One day, he went out of the house to fulfill his idealistic thoughts. Hours passed and she began to grow worried, believing that he could be hurt somewhere. As the sun set in the distant horizon, she heard chanting. She looked out her window and saw a mob of immortals walking towards her house.

She sensed blood lust in the air and quickly vacated her home. As she ran into the woods, she turned her head to look behind her. Her home was set a blaze by a mob of hateful immortals. Tears in her eyes, she whirled around and headed for the village, hoping to find her brother.

As she ran through the empty streets in the bright moonlight, she found herself alone in the town square. Her eyes zoned into a figure in the center of the square, a top a wooden platform. She stopped. Her heart stopped. A frail body of a skinny little boy hung mercilessly. His shoeless feet and tattered clothes, a sign that he had been beaten before hand. His body floated a few feet off the platform as a silken cord around his neck kept him suspended.

They had killed her brother.

An innocent boy intent only on helping his elder sister had been hung. Silently, she walked up the wooden platform and raised her hands. She untied her brother's frail body and allowed him to fall into her arms. He was so thin... he couldn't have died immediately. He must've suffered as he slowly felt his body give out. They were afraid that he carried the same power and would destroy them all, so they had killed him. They had no proof, yet they had killed him. Because SHE Was different.

The immortals soon returned and were met with the young woman clutching her dead brother's body against her. That night, that immortal town was destroyed by a single chaotic blast. The young woman, haunted with the deaths of so many and over powered with her abilities, sunk into insanity. For centuries, she wandered the Gaia, destroying all those she deemed hateful... 

* * *

"For centuries, I wandered this world removing all those who were impure..." Ultimecia ended, her eyes glimmering an almost animalistic light. "So many...but so many were impure. I HAD to. For my brother...for my mother..."

Rinoa shook her head. "You can't...they deserved to live...they deserved to LIVE!" she cried out painfully. "You're not Hyne! You can't decide who lives and who dies!"

"But I HAD to..." Ultimecia continued. "I couldn't rest...I can't rest."

"No!" Rinoa screamed. "No, you don't understand! No one is perfect! I'm not saying that everyone is good, but not everyone is evil!"

"No one loves any more...all hate..." Ultimecia blabbered on.

"No!"

"You've seen what hate can do..." Ultimecia smiled at Rinoa, as if the girl were agreeing with her. "Now, come to me..." Ultimecia extended her hand and Rinoa felt her body being drawn forward. She resisted and tried to squirm, but the grasp around her was too strong. "All I need is your body as a host and this world can be changed."

Rinoa looked over at Selphie's body. It seemed to be growing weaker by the second. She looked over Quistis' body and winced. I...I can't let them die...

"All I wanted was for them to accept me," Ultimecia said as she stood up and brought Rinoa face to face. "I just wanted someone to love me...regardless of what I was."

Quistis' cold hands gripped Rinoa's chin firmly in place. Rinoa's eyes went wide open as her mouth was tugged open and another's was placed directly on top of hers.

* * *

"What the hell are you doing?" Seifer asked as his narrowed green eyes looked down at Squall disdainfully. The brunette was sitting on the ground, writing something with his finger into sand in front of him.

"It's a magical barrier...I need something to break it..." Squall explained dully. Obviously...what does he think I'm doing? Making a damn sand castle?

"And you're making a sand castle because...?" Seifer asked, trailing off.

Hyne, you're an idiot... Squall thought silently. He narrowed his eyes and pulled out a bottle from the box next to him. He took out a marble bowl and poured out the bottle's contents before setting it on fire. Seifer jumped back as Squall seemed to revert into the temple attendant he once was.

There he goes again...mumbling and praying...mumbling and praying... Seifer thought to himself. He leaned over and picked up a rock. Without a second thought, he threw it at ruins and winced as it hit the barrier, sending shocks of magic flying out. He looked over at Squall. "Hurry up!" he demanded. "Quistis is in there and we don't have time for you to chant out a whole sermon!"

Squall grabbed the gunblade at his side just as Seifer finished with one hand and the bowl of flamingly liquid in the other. He stepped towards the barrier and with a swift move spread the dark liquid over the barrier. Seifer's eyes went wide as he watched as the liquid seemed to spread over the entire barrier dome over the city.

He could see flashes of magic being diluted like rice paper in water. Squall picked up another rock and tossed it into the ruins. Seifer waited to see if it would bounce back, but saw it go straight through. "Let's go." Squall stated as he rushed in.

Seifer ran in after him. "What the hell was that!?"

"Potion."

"What did they teach you at that temple!?"

"If you ever paid attention, you would know." Squall retorted.

Seifer snorted and looked ahead of them. "Where the hell are we going!?"

"Irvine said that Rinoa was taken to the palace!" Squall said. As he ran forward, Seifer began to notice the surrounding area.

"Squall! Look around!" Seifer shouted. Squall hesitated, but did a quick scan with his eyes as he ran. His heart nearly froze as he noticed that the buildings were all standing once more, clean and neat as the day they were opened. "What the hell is going on!?"

"I don't understand..." Squall said as they ran. Both of them looked around cautiously, unsure why the ruins had been resurrected. "She tried to destroy this before! Why is she bringing it back!?"

"Impossible..." Seifer mumbled. "It's like nothing ever happened!"

"We're getting closer!" Squall continued. "The buildings are more and more intact as we reach the palace!"

"Think we'll have some problems getting to her?" Seifer asked as they ran through the fallen gates of the palace walls.

"No..." Squall said with a cold voice. "With that much power, she doesn't need protection."

The two men ran up the path, barely allowing the ornate resurrected gardens to register as they headed for the main doors. They ran past the working fountain in the front courtyard just before running up the stone steps. The main doors were open ahead of them, having been left that way from when Rinoa first entered.

They flew threw the doors and stopped in the massive foyer. "Where now!?" Seifer gasped as he looked around wildly.

Squall looked around, his heart pounding in his chest. Irvine hadn't told him any more details. "Rinoa..." he whispered quietly. Rinoa! Where are you!? his mind screamed.

SQUALL! His eyes went wide as he turned his head and looked directly ahead of him. Blood pumped in his veins as his heart raced. He could've sworn he heard her voice, but didn't stop to think much into it.

"The ball room!" Squall shouted as he dashed forward. Seifer quickly followed. Heavy doors were closed before them and Squall lifted his gunblade as he approached it. "RINOA!!"

* * *

"The limiter..." Irvine said as he put the papers down and looked at the people around the table with him.

"Is the knight!" Everyone chorused.

"But..." Laguna gasped. "But how!? How do they know? How do they bond? You can't force a bond!"

"He's right," Kiros agreed. "Raijin, what does it say about the previous bonds of earlier sorceress' knights?"

"All it says is that he gave his life to her and that a mental, emotion, and spiritual bond was created between knight and sorceress, ya know," Raijin said. "There aren't any details, ya know."

"The stories!" Zell exclaimed as he leaned over to grab another pile of papers to look over it. "What do they say?"

Irvine snatched the papers from Zell and quickly found the passage that had been highlighted by either Raijin of Fujin. "'Until one day, she took the life of a knight. A man who saw through her anger and frustration and to the hurt young woman inside. In an attempt to calm her, she took his life and absorbed his life as a source of power. However, when she felt him inside of her, she suddenly found her anchor.'"

"Anchor?" half the people in the room chorused in confusion.

"Limiter," Fujin clarified. "Limited powers."

"Okay," Irvine said as he put the papers on the desk and looked at the group. "Let's get this straight. In order for a sorceress to regain her insanity, she needs a limiter. The limiter is basically her knight, of whom she has a bond with."

"Affirmative." Fujin agreed.

"This is great, but how the hell are we going to get a damn knight!?" Irvine growled, frustrated. He looked around and grabbed Exeter.

"Hey!" Zell called out. "Where are you going!?"

"We're not finding anything here!" Irvine shouted as he left the tent. Zell ran after him. "I can't sit here any more! I'm going down to the ruins!"

"But Squall said-"

"Screw what Squall said! Selphie is down there and needs me!" Irvine exclaimed at Zell as he turned and looked at the blond. "Now, either you stay here and play Quistis the whole night or we go down there and help them!"

Zell took a deep breath and nodded. "Let's go!"

* * *

The heavy doors nearly exploded into scraps as Squall and Seifer burst through, gunblades waving in the air. Dust flew around them as they skidded to a halt and prepared themselves for battle. As the dust settled, Seifer nearly dropped his gunblade as Squall's eyes went wide.

Rinoa's body was limp in the arms of the possessed Quistis. The young blond female's body was hunched over slightly, meeting Rinoa's lips with her own as a powerful soul was transferred from one host to the other. Seifer swallowed nervously. I know I'm not supposed to be feeling this way at this time...but I can't help it... his mind told him.

"Rinoa!" Squall shouted, unsure of what to do. He was suddenly afraid to move. If he did, would that trigger something? Would Ultimecia kill one of the girls?

"What...what are they doing?" Seifer said in a low voice.

Squall suddenly realized what was going on. "No!" he screamed. He ran forward, speeding across the grand ball room, but not fast enough.

Quistis pulled away from Rinoa and let her go, allowing the young brunette's body to crumple to the ground limply. Squall stopped in his tracks half way across the ball room as Quistis stepped past Rinoa's body. The blond was swaying and grasping her head as she stumbled forward. She managed to take five steps before falling to the ground.

"Quistis!" Seifer shouted. He darted ahead, running past Squall, who was trying to be cautious, but eyeing Rinoa the whole time. "Quisty!" Seifer yelled.

"Seifer!" Squall warned as the male blond ran past him. Nothing could stop Seifer as he slid to stop on his knees by Quistis' fallen body.

"Quisty?" he cooed, almost pleadingly. "Quisty, baby...?" Seifer dropped his gunblade at his side as his arms went around Quistis' shoulders and turned her over so her head would look up at him. He frowned as his hands touched her cold hands. "Oh, Hyne..." he gasped out. A shaking hand rose and gently swept back her golden locks from her face before stroking her cold, pale cheek gently.

Squall watched Seifer cradle Quistis' body warily as he walked over to Rinoa. His eyes went down to her and he knelt down. Quietly, he placed his gunblade down next to him as a gloved hand reached forward. Her face was flushed and she looked like she had been worn out. "Rin..." he whispered quietly as he sat down next to her. His arms lifted her into his lap as his hand cupped her heart shaped face gently.

Footsteps rapidly coming down the halls could be heard. "Squall!" a voice echoed in the hall way. "Where the hell are you!?"

It was Irvine's voice, but neither man dared to reply. In a few moments, two men appeared at the doorway of the ball room. "Holy..." Zell said as he looked that the sight before him.

Irvine's eyes immediately zoned into the fallen heap of yellow by the throne. "Selphie!" he exclaimed. He ran past his two friends and the women in their arms as he sped for her. His heart was racing as he dropped his beloved gun in favor of a more precious treasure. He knelt down next to her and immediately scooped up the pale brunette in his arms. "Selphie? Selphie!" he gasped as he gently shook her.

He pressed his head against hers and silently cursed as he felt how cold her body had become. Zell knelt down next to his cousin and the cowboy and gently touched Selphie's hand. "She's ice cold!" the fighter gasped. "Irvine, your jacket!"

Irvine immediately nodded and gently handed Zell Selphie so he could take off his jacket. Seifer had already done the same thing for Quistis and had all but wrapped her in his gray-white coat. Squall narrowed his eyes as he removed one of his gloves and cupped Rinoa's face. Oh shit...

Pink lips slowly curled into a malicious smile as Squall grabbed Lionheart in one hand and scrambled up. Deep laughter began to echo around the room, first quietly and growing louder by the second. Irvine, Zell, and Seifer all looked up and looked around the room warily as Squall narrowed his eyes and looked down at the blue and black clad body.

Red eyes opened and looked directly back at him, red eyes burning into his core. "Miss me?"

* * *

"Laguna where are we going!?" Kiros exclaimed.

"We have to tell Squall!" Laguna said as he clutched a machine at his side. "He has to know!"

"Know WHAT!?" Kiros gasped as Ward walked behind them.

Laguna bit his lower lip as he looked into the cloudy sky. Dark clouds were quickly gathering. "He has to know what he is!" Laguna said as he sped up. "He's a knight!"

"Why would Squall be Ultimecia's KNIGHT!?" Kiros asked, frustrated by Laguna's brash actions.

"No!" Laguna said. "Not Ultimecia's! RINOA'S!"

* * *

Her body flew up into the vaulted ceilings of the palace as if she had been pulled up by wires. Squall jumped back, his hand whitening as he held his gunblade tightly.

"What the hell!?" Seifer said as he looked up. "Rinoa-"

"Rinoa gladly gave herself up!" Ultimecia's raspy voice echoed around them, making them feel surrounded by her ominous presence. "Isn't that kind of her, young prince? To give up her body in change for THEIR lives? You should be happy!"

Seifer glared at her angrily and guiltily for feeling the tinge of happiness that at the very least Quistis was alive. "Damn you-gack!" His eyes went wide as they looked down. "Quis..." he managed to gasp out as slender fingers gripped his pale neck in a near vice like hold.

"Irvine! Zell!" Squall shouted as he turned his head. "Watch out!" It was too late. Both Irvine and Zell were trapped in Selphie's small hands with the inhuman grip. Her eyes matched the glowing red that was in Quistis' as they awoke as puppets to the sorceress. Squall whirled back up to look at the floating sorceress. "You said you'd let them go!"

"No...I said I would allow them to live. And as you can see..." the sorceress let out a mocking laugh as she waved her hands before her to motion towards the two young woman who were under her control. "They are very much so."

"Squall!" a voice shouted from the door way. Squall looked up and frowned.

"Laguna, get away!" he shouted. Ultimecia in Rinoa's body whirled around and saw the three men approaching.

Her eyes narrowed as she raised her right arm in the air. Energy crackled around her body as it rose and collected at her hand. A javelin was created and sparkled as she hurled it towards them. Laguna and Kiros dove out of the way as Ward swept it to the side with his anchor.

"Squall!" Laguna shouted once again. "A knight! Be a knight!"

"What are you talking about!?" Squall growled. He shot an annoyed glare at his father. "Get out of here!"

"I have no time for you!" Ultimecia shouted as she threw a wave of energy through the air and knocked the three men out of their spots. Squall looked up as she turned around and faced him once more. She smirked. "You'll be glad to know that's she's still alive inside of me..."

Squall's eyes narrowed. "I won't hesitate to kill you again..." he drawled out, knowing where she was going.

She merely laughed and threw her beautiful head back. "I beg to differ..." she chuckled. Squall looked over at his friends. Seifer was turning blue and Zell and Irvine were desperately trying to get out of Selphie's death grip. None of the men could bring themselves to hit or otherwise defend themselves from the women they cared about.

Squall took a deep breath. Be a knight? What the hell is he talking about? his mind screamed. What's so important about being a knight? His eyes went wide. Sis' stories...the sorceress...the knight...damn! What didn't I get it before!? He looked back up at the sorceress before him and took a deep breath. "An exchange!"

The sorceress' eyes narrowed. "What?" Is this a trick?

"Let those men go...let those two women go - alive and out of your power!" Squall insisted. "And I'll gladly give myself up."

She raised an eyebrow and looked at him as if he were insane. "THAT is your bargain? I can kill you right now and get it over with!"

"Then kill me! Just let them go!" Squall said. His eyes narrowed. "After all...I killed you the first time." He watched as her eyes narrowed. He hit a nerve.

She laughed and nodded. "She's struggling inside of me...trying in her own futile effort to over power me," Ultimecia sounded. "A pest at most, but nothing will break her like your death. I'll make a meal out of you... at least you won't have completely gone to waste."

"Then let them go!" Squall yelled. She smirked and waved her hand.

"Ugh..." Quistis' eyes blinked back to blue as she winced. Her eyes closed tightly and Seifer nearly dropped her as he gasped for air.

Behind them, Selphie let out a moan as her hands dropped from the necks of Irvine and Zell. Her eyes rolled back as she fell against Irvine's body once more. Zell looked up at his friend as he gasped for air. "Squall!" he gasped. "Wait!"

The sound of a gunblade hitting the stone floor echoed as Squall's eyes dilated. His mouth was held open by a claw like hand as white smoke was pulled from within and into the body of another. He closed his eyes. I'm coming, Rin...

* * *

It was dark. Cold. He could feel the icy chill pricking against his bare skin. He looked around him. Ba-dum...ba-dum... Someone's heart beat echoed around him, faintly at first. He narrowed his eyes and walked towards the sound of the beating heart. His bare feet walked across the expanse of darkness. Then he saw her.

She was crumpled on the floor, her body hunched over as her face was buried in her hands. Her heart beat died down as her sobs replaced them. Squall stopped a few feet behind the girl. Her ivory skin seemed to be illuminated by an unknown light source as her layered locks fell around her face. He could feel his heart begin to ache in his chest as he reached for her.

Suddenly, her head shot up and she stiffened. She whirled around, large brown eyes rimmed with tears. Her pink lips trembled as looked up at him. "I'm sorry..." she whispered.

She began to choke out sobs as she scrambled up and ran to him, mumbling apologies. Squall gladly welcomed her into his arms. He closed his eyes as he caressed her hair softly. "Rinoa..." he whispered intently, glad to have her in his arms...if only for the moment.

"I'm so sorry!" Rinoa sobbed. "I tried, Squall! I really tried!" she told him tearfully. "I thought that I could over power her if...if I trapped her in my body...but...but..." Sobs wracked her body as she leaned against him heavily. "I'm so stupid! I just couldn't take it! I couldn't let them get hurt, Squall! I hurt them before! I took their lives away...I took YOUR life away!"

Squall closed his eyes as he held her tightly against him. "They don't hate you. I don't hate you, Rinoa..." he assured her softly.

Rinoa shook her head. "I can't do anything!" she exclaimed, her eyes wide with terror as she pushed herself away from him. Squall frowned as she stumbled back and clutched her head. "It's like...it's like I'm drowning in a sea of magic! It's all in my body! I can FEEL it!" It seemed to blanket her body, restraining her and letting her free all at the same time.

"Rinoa...calm down-" Squall began as he reached for her. She pulled away and shook her head wildly.

"No!" she screamed. "Why can't I stop it! I'm drowning, Squall! I'm drowning in it!!" she cried, horrified as she fell to her knees. She was grasping her head, as if in immense pain.

The chaos... Squall's mind told him. She can't control her powers... Rinoa was in hysterical tears as she screamed apologies and begged for help.

Rinoa's eyes were shut closed. She was sobbing as hot tears escaped her closed lids. She was being suffocated. Literally drowning in a pool of magic she couldn't control. She wanted it to stop. She wanted it under control. Her arms flew to her sides as she tilted her head back and screamed.

Warm arms wrapped around her body, enveloping her in comfort and security. Her breathing was shallow as she froze. Her eyes were wide as her body stiffened at his touch. Bare, muscular arms rested around her body, holding her close and pressing her back against his chest.

Ba-dum...ba-dum... A comforting sound. Rinoa closed her eyes as her body went limp against him. His heart matched the pace of hers, quickly calming the chaos within. "I'll be here..." Squall whispered in her ear. "Always...I promise."

Pale hands rose and touched the forearms over her body. "I'll always be with you, Squall..." she whispered numbly as she felt his warmth slowly dying.

Squall closed his eyes as he felt his life coming to a close. "At least I got to hold you in my arms one last time..." Squall whispered.

Rinoa's eyes were closed, but she could feel him leaving her. Her hands grasps his arms. "I love you..."

She felt the warmth of his last breath caress her ear as her hands slipped through and fell against her body. She pressed her hands against her heart. She could feel him inside of her, giving her wild heart peace. Rinoa felt her body relax. For the first time in her life, she felt as if she were complete. How ironic... Squall was gone, but she felt him all around her, protecting her.

"He's absorbed into our magic now," a booming voice said, cutting through Rinoa's peace. She didn't need to look up to know who else was there. A shadowy figure, hazy and with glowing red eyes floated in front of her, watching her as she sat on the floor. "As thanks for your body, I allowed him into your mind so that you may have once last chance to see him."

Rinoa's hands slowly turned into fists at her side. "You killed him..."

"Like you, he gladly gave himself up for the others," Ultimecia said. Rinoa could almost feel the elder sorceress smirking at her expense. "Are you ready now? Has his death brought you back into reality? You're under my control now."

Rinoa stood up on shaking legs. Her head was downcast as she stood up. "I'm ready..." Rinoa said in a low voice. Her hands suddenly flew up and wrapped themselves against Ultimecia's slender neck. "So what do you do?" Rinoa asked as she looked up with a devious smile. "Just open your mouth?" A free hand forced Ultimecia's mouth open. "And then what?"

"What are you doing!?" the sorceress yelled out as Rinoa opened her own mouth. "Are you insane!? You'll destroy the body with that much magic in one soul!"

"I'll always be with him," Rinoa said as Ultimecia felt the unbridled burst of energy surround Rinoa. The magic was powerful, yet handled with impeccable control. "That's all that matters now..."

White smoke began to coil out of the elder sorceress' mouth and float into the air, directly into Rinoa's mouth. The smoke began to move faster and faster as the creature's energy was drained. Beneath her finger tips, Rinoa could feel Ultimecia weakening. Her hands held the woman's head in place and her mouth open as the last of the magic was stolen.

The creature that she held in her hand seemed to fade from existence as Rinoa let her go. It's hot... Rinoa thought to herself as she stumbled back tiredly. She blinked as her vision began to blur. It's hot... I'm so hot... She crumpled to the ground in a heap as the suffocating power surrounded her. She found it harder to breath. I need to release the energy...I can't keep it...

She swallowed hard and closed her eyes as tears slid down her flawless cheeks. One last attempt at magic. One last order of her body.


	15. Resurrection

**Mythology**  
_Chapter Fifteen: Resurrection_  
By PasifiKStaR

**Author's Note**: Due to 's policy on how long author's notes can be, all my thanks will be on my LJ under the date of 7/18/04. It was a pleasure writing for you all!

All Standard Disclaimers Apply: I do not own Final Fantasy.

* * *

Zell was dragging Squall's body towards a safer part of the palace as Irvine and Seifer carried Selphie and Quistis in their arms. Laguna was beckoning them towards the exit. All around them, large chunks of the palace were falling. Pillars were tumbling down to their ruined states as Ultimecia's hold on them disappeared. 

In Seifer's arms, Quistis let out a tired moan. "Rinoa..." she whispered. Her sapphire eyes opened tiredly and looked up at Seifer. "Seifer...where...?"

Seifer paused in mid step. He looked over at Irvine, who was glancing back over his shoulder consistently. Quistis narrowed her eyes and followed Seifer's gaze. She saw Irvine and Selphie, who was awake in his arms, looking back towards the ball room. Quistis' eyes went wide.

Rinoa's body floated high in room, almost touching the crumbling ceiling as she seemed to fight an internal battle with herself. Her head was tossing from side to side as her arms and legs dangled below her. They could barely make out how her chest was heaving unevenly as inaudible gasps escaped her opened mouth. Suddenly her body stopped and went limp. "Rinoa...!" Selphie whispered sharply.

"AHHH!!!" Rinoa's eyes flew open as white light burst from her body. Her scream echoed through the room as her body seemed to explode into a blinding white light.

"Let's go!" Kiros' voice could be heard through the destruction of the palace. With much trouble, they managed to tear their eyes away from the white light that had illuminated the entire ball room.

Quistis shielded her eyes weakly with her arm as Seifer ran out the doors. "It's falling apart!" Laguna shouted as Kiros ran over to Zell to help him carry Squall. "Let's get out of here!"

Behind them, Irvine carried Selphie, who was burying her face in his shoulder as she clung on to him. Dust and smoke from the falling rubble began to rise into the air, creating walls of clouds that cut off the visibility in front of them. Ahead of them, they heard Laguna and Kiros' voice tell them where to go.

Within seconds, they exited the crumbling palace, only to find that all around them the ruins had started to fall even more apart. "We have to get out of the ruins!" Seifer shouted.

Without pausing, he began to run towards the outer boundaries of the fallen city. The ground began to crack beneath them as he leapt over fallen pillars and walls that fell all around them. "Take the main road out!" Kiros ordered behind them.

"Squall!? Squall!?" Laguna shouted frantically as he and Zell ran across the breaking concrete walk ways with Squall's body hanging between them.

"We can wake him up when we're outside the city!" Zell assured him.

Laguna nodded worriedly as he looked ahead of them at the city. He felt something cold and wet hit his nose and he looked up quickly. "It's raining!" he shouted.

"Good!" Irvine said as they ran. He could feel Selphie's arms constricting around him tighter as she began to regain her lost strength. "It'll clear the dust out!"

"But it'll make the ground muddy!" Kiros added. "Watch where you step! Especially you, Laguna!" He added with a smirk.

Laguna frowned. "What are you implying!?" he shouted. "I am not a klutz-AH!"

"Sir, watch out!" Zell said as the older immortal nearly stumbled. Laguna let out a yelp as he quickly caught his balance and continued running.

"See!?" Kiros shouted.

Their foot steps were lost in the sounds of collapsing buildings as they saw the edge of the city ahead of them. "Seifer...go up to the camp..." Quistis breathed out tiredly.

"Huh? What? Why!?" Seifer asked as he carried her. He glanced down quickly and took note of the pained look on Quistis' tear streaked face.

"The city is bigger than just the ruins..." she whispered softly. "There's more buried in the sand."

Seifer mulled over it for a split second before nodding. "Head up to the camp!" he ordered. "Hurry! Before the rain makes it too difficult to climb up the hill!"

Behind him, he heard grunts of agreement. He jumped over one final block of stone before heading on to the hard packed pathway. At the top of the hill, he saw two figures standing and pointing to the ruins. He was about to turn and look at what they were pointing at when Quistis tugged on his shirt. "No..." she said. "Just keep going...don't stop."

Seifer nodded and grinned slightly as he felt her arms go around his neck. "I knew I'd make you say those two words sooner or later," he said with a smirk. "I just didn't think it would be in this situation."

She shot him a glare and chided him for joking around during such a serious moment. They raced up the sandy path way, rain falling over in a full shower as they reached the camp level. Seifer was panting slightly as he stopped, Quistis still in his arms. He turned around just as Laguna and Zell passed him dragging Squall between them.

For a moment, the tall blond male lost his breath as he squinted and looked up at the ball of light that was overpowering the cloud hidden sun.

* * *

_"What's this...?" She stopped and looked around. Her eyes squinted slightly as every where around her, she found herself staring directly into glowing white light. She lifted her hand to shield her face and stopped when she realized her body was glowing. Amazed, she held her hands in front of her and watched as the lights swirled around her body. _

"Squall!?" she called out suddenly. Thoughts of a lost love flooded her as she turned around in search of him. She winced as the bright lights flooded her eyes once more. Her heart began to beat quickly as she felt the vacant feeling inside of her.

He was no longer there. She couldn't feel him anywhere near her and she was suddenly filled with fear and uncertainty. "Squall!?" she called out, more frantically this time. Her breathing became shallower as she turned in a circle, desperately calling his name. "Where are you!?"

Each step she took echoed in her ears as she tried to peer through the hazing whiteness in front of her. As she squinted, she began to make out a clearing and headed for it. As she concentrated through the confusion, she found herself looking down at a familiar group. Her eyes went wide as the tears that had been falling down her face like waterfalls stopped momentarily.

"Quistis! Selphie!" she cried out. They were staring at something, but she couldn't see what. Their eyes seemed completely immersed in whatever they were watching. Seifer was standing behind Quistis, holding on to her protectively as he watched the same thing she was watching. Irvine was next to Selphie as Zell stared, open mouthed, at whatever it was.

Her brown eyes immediately zeroed in the body laying on the ground. Laguna was kneeling next to it pensively and alternating from looking up to looking down at his son. "Squall..." she murmured softly. "Now I remember..."

She smiled softly as she reached her hand out and intently traced the outline of his face. "I took everything away once..." she whispered as she drew her hand back slowly. Her eyes contained a glint of sadness as she stepped back. "So now I'll bring everything back...Just wait."

Rinoa closed her eyes and felt the magic around her. She let herself fall and immerse into the power that she was sending out and controlling. As she fell backwards, she felt cold drops against her body and she smiled sadly. "The sky is crying again..." she said softly as her senses began to dull. She smiled softly. "This time, they're tears of joy..."

* * *

He could feel someone's soft hand gently caress his face. The feeling of the smooth finger tips against his face was familiar and he leaned his head towards the warmth. His lips parted and silently whispered her name. 

"Squall!" a voice exclaimed to his righ. His entire body stiffened as the voice that shouted his name was not the voice he wanted to hear. Blue eyes opened and looked up into a blur of color above him. Hazy waves of brown and blue bunched together in his vision. "He's awake!"

Immediately, more people, whose faces were slowly clearing, appeared above him. He saw blonde, light brown, and more blond. "Ri..." he gasped out breathlessly. He took a deep breath and swallowed. "Rinoa...where is Rinoa?"

Above his laying position, Irvine looked over at Seifer and Zell unsurely. Without waiting for them to answer, the scarred brunette raised his arms and shooed them away. He struggled to sit and Irvine had to help him into a sitting position. Squall quickly shoved his arms away, wanting to show that he was not helpless.

"Squall, are you sure you're okay?" Zell asked, worriedly. "You were knocked out pretty good-"

"Rinoa!?" Squall shouted, cutting off the tattooed blond.

"Squall, she's not here." Laguna said sadly to his right. He was kneeling a few feet away from him. Squall narrowed his icy blue eyes and glared at the man for merely telling him the negative news. Laguna looked away immediately.

"Where is she!?" Squall demanded.

It was Selphie who replied from her spot standing in front of him with Quistis. The two girls were staring up into a brightly lit sky as rain fell around them, pasting their clothes against their tired bodies. She lifted up her slender arm and pointed to the growing chunk of land that was being gathered in the skies above where the ruins once stood.

Her answer was plain and to the point. "There."

Squall followed the direction she was pointing. His eyes grew large as he saw a floating island in the sky being held up by soft white clouds. Below it, chunks of earth were being carried into the air to support the island as slabs of stone and concrete were lifted from their burial places. White streaks of light swirled around it, as if fusing the once fallen city into place with power stronger than anything man could ever create.

Squall felt his heart beat in his chest as he slowly stood up. He kept his eyes pasted on the city that was being built before their very eyes. A silhouette of a long forgotten palace began to rise from it's ruined state as pillars of stone rose into the air, marking various points of the city. Magnificent hillsides were created, almost as a back drop of the massive city as streams of silver began to cut through certain hills and pillars.

The waterfalls and springs that once graced the floating immortal Centra reappeared as it slowly began to rise higher and higher into the blue sky. "I don't believe it..." Irvine mumbled numbly behind Squall as the brunette slowly walked forward.

He couldn't deny what he was feeling as he looked up. The clouds were clearing around the city as the ground below it settled into dust and sand. Swirls of white light flew around and within the city, forging it into one piece. He could feel her above them.

"She did it..." Quistis whispered as she stared in awe. "She resurrected the immortal city into the sky..."

The rain stopped and they watched as rainbows caressed across the expanse of blue, creating a paradise that they had once lost. Selphie began to sniffle as she rubbed her eyes. "Rinoa...what happened...?"

"It was too much for her..." Squall mumbled. "She must've taken Ultimecia's magic. But it's too strong, she couldn't handle it..."

Quistis bit her lower lip and closed her eyes tightly, immediately understand what Squall was saying. "So she got rid of the power by resurrecting the city..." she stated softly. She took a deep breath and wiped the corner of her eye.

Seifer's hand suddenly grabbed Quistis' and she turned to look at him, surprised. "Let's go." he told her sternly.

Her eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "Go WHERE?" she asked.

Seifer sighed and rolled his eyes. With his free hand he pointed up at the floating city. "Home." he replied coolly. Quistis' blue eyes followed the length of his arm to look back at the city.

Her eyes quickly narrowed. "Are you insane!?" she growled as she tore her arm away from him. "How are we supposed to get THERE!?"

Behind her, a few males began to chuckle and she turned around. "Quistis, I thought you would've remembered by now," Irvine said as he began to unbutton the vest over his chest. "We ARE immortals."

"That's not true," Selphie piped. "Quistis and I are mortals."

"No," Zell said as he lifted his arms and tugged off his shirt to reveal a creamy pale and built upper body. "Immortal souls born into an immortal body make one immortal, right?"

"Don't tell me you never actually finished reading those tablets, Quisty!" Seifer said as he pulled his navy shirt over his body. Quistis found her eyes immediately pasted to Seifer's defined chest and arms.

She suddenly felt herself grow warm all over as she swallowed and turned her head away sharply. "In case you forgot, things happened that threw me off track." she spat out proudly.

"The end of the tablets said that Centra was destroyed and that the immortals left the city in a massive migration using-" Seifer began, but Squall cut him off.

"I'm going up there." Squall said as he lifted his white T-shirt over his head. Quistis and Selphie turned their heads to look at him just in time to see his muscles ripple with each movement of his arms. His chain fell over his perfectly defined bare upper body.

Wow... the two girls thought to themselves. Luckily, neither Irvine nor Seifer seemed to have noticed.

"Squall," Quistis said, shaking herself out of her awe. "How exactly are you getting up there?"

He held his leather jacket and shirt in his hands as he stretched his arms into the air. "The same way we used to get back and forth between the mortal earth and the immortal sky," he stated. "Fly."

Selphie raised an eyebrow and looked around. All the men, except Kiros, Laguna, and Ward, who were immersed in a conversation about who to call about this and how to spread the news that the immortal city had returned, had their shirts off. Even Fujin was stripped down to her pants and a black silk bra as she stretched her arms in the air.

She raised her arms back over her body as the sound of muscles and bone movement began to sound. Selphie and Quistis watched as two lumps formed over her shoulder blades. They were smooth at first and then from Fujin's flawless pearl skin, they exploded forward. Thick, rounded wings stretched out behind her.

"Been long..." she mumbled as she looked up at the sky intently.

"Too long, ya know." Raijin agreed.

A flurry of white feathers flew around her as Raijin stretched and allowed two larger, but narrower white wings to protrude from his back. "Holy..." Selphie gasped.

"Ready?" a voice asked to her left. She turned her head and felt a cowboy hat being placed on top of her head.

"Hey!" She put her hand on it and tilted it up above her eyes just as Irvine put his arms behind her and lifted her up. "Irvine!" She felt a gush of wind caress her face and saw the long white wings protruding from his back.

They began to flap slowly, picking up wind around them as he looked down at her and smiled. "Up we go!" Irvine seemed to jump a little as Selphie gasped and threw her arms around his neck. She let out a whimper as she closed her eyes.

Selphie felt wind rushing around her and that prompted her to open her eyes. Her emerald eyes went wide as she watched Quistis' surprised face look up at her as she flew away. "I'm flying!" she gasped.

"Hold on to the hat, Selphie," Irvine told her as he looked up ahead of them at the floating city. "It might fly off."

"Right!" Selphie said as she clamped it down securely on her head with one hand. Her head turned from side to side as she let out a squeal. "Booyaka! I'm actually FLYING!"

"Quistis?" a voice asked to her right. Quistis turned and saw Seifer extending his hand towards her. She looked around her and watched as Zell took off behind them. He let out a loud holler as he did a little loop in the sky before flying up after the others.

Raijin and Fujin were halfway to the palace and ahead of them was Squall. She turned her head back to Seifer and bit her bottom lip. Reluctantly, she took hold of his larger hand. He smiled and pulled her towards him. "Hey!"

"Hold on tight!" he shouted arrogantly as he picked her up in his arms. He crouched down and then jumped.

"SEIFER!!" she screamed.

"See...there you go again," he said as the wind flew past them, chilling their rain soaked skin. "Screaming out the right words, but at the WRONG moment!"

"UGH!!" She let out an exasperated growl as she held on to his neck tightly. She looked down hesitantly and stiffened as she saw the ground disappearing below them. "Oh Hyne...!" She turned her head and buried it against Seifer's chest.

"Quisty, please..." Seifer said mockingly. "Now is not the time."

"That's it!" she yelled. "Drop me! Drop me now! I don't care if I die!"

He merely laughed, his deep laughter stemming from deep within and vibrating in his chest. Quistis blushed as she felt his arms around her tighten. "I wouldn't let you get hurt if you held a knife to my neck." he whispered, almost intently.

She looked up at him reluctantly and saw the soft glint in his eye as they cut through a layer of clouds. Her arms tightened around him and she leaned her head against his chest. She looked up once more and noticed a slight bruise around his neck. "Seifer..." she whispered with a frown. "What happened to your neck?"

"Uh..."

"Here we are!" Irvine said as he placed Selphie carefully down on the sturdy ground of the city. They were at the very edge of Centra, before a massive gate that served as the welcome entry way into the city. It had no iron bars to keep immortals in or out, but rather, it was open.

Selphie looked around, her eyes wide with amazement. Up ahead of them, she saw Raijin and Fujin slowly walking into the city, as if taking it all in. Further ahead was Squall. She frowned slightly as she saw him walk in and look around almost earnestly.

"He's looking for her..." Selphie whispered sadly as Irvine's larger hand slipped over hers. She turned to look at him tearfully. "I feel her here, Irvy...do you?"

Irvine smiled as brightly as he could, but Selphie could see the sadness in his eyes. "Yeah...she's here..." He took a deep breath and looked through the gate. "Shall we?" he offered. Selphie smiled sadly and nodded.

"Sure."

"No, really," a voice said behind them as Seifer and Quistis arrived. "What happened to your neck?"

"I had a battle with the sorceress - REALLY." Seifer insisted as he landed. He was careful to place Quistis down and help her steady herself after the flight up.

Quistis was about to question him more when she looked up at the gates. Her eyes narrowed and she felt Seifer's arms wrap around her shoulders. "I...I can't believe it..." she gasped. "I always knew deep down that Centra was real...but...now that I'm here...I just can't believe it."

Seifer kissed the top of her head and leaned against her. "Welcome home, Quisty..." he told her softly.

Quistis' hands rose and held Seifer's as she stood there. "Can we go in?" she asked naively. Seifer let out a chuckle and nodded.

"This is OUR kingdom," Seifer told her as he took her hand and pulled away. He tugged on her arm gently and pulled her into the city. "Our home, Quistis...no one can ever deny you that."

She smiled and followed him without a word.

Inside the city, Squall wandered around, trying to sense Rinoa. However, she seemed to be everywhere. The entire city seemed to pulse with Rinoa's very heart beat. He finally stopped in the middle of the town square and looked around, as if lost.

I can feel you... Squall thought as he stood there. All around me... A cool wind blew through the empty, serene city, caressing Squall's bare body with a tender kiss. His eyes closed tightly as he felt his heart clench in his chest. His hands tightened at his sides as he felt the wind swirl around him, almost as if trying to comfort him. They carried a familiar scent in their midst and he felt his body relax. Rinoa...

"Squall!" a voice shouted. The brunette opened his eyes at the sound of his name being called. "Squall, come over here!"

He turned his head and saw Zell running towards him. The blond, who had put his clothes back on, waved for him to follow. Squall took a deep breath and followed reluctantly. As he reached Zell, he frowned. "I kind of want to be alone-"

"You have to see this!" Zell said as he turned his back to Squall and began to jog forward. "Remember how Irvine and Selphie went to the ruins to find something to help? And how Irvine was blabbering about those panels and that knight story?"

"What about them." Squall stated rather than asked. He felt slightly annoyed. He wanted nothing more at the moment than to just sit and think. And be alone with the feeling of Rinoa all around him.

"Well, one panel was missing, you have to check this out!" Zell said. They turned the corner and Squall saw their tomb awaiting them. He narrowed his eyes as the structure. It stood as perfect and sterile as the day they were entombed.

Zell carelessly ran in and Squall followed. Torches illuminated the room brightly as Selphie and Irvine stood within the inner sanctums. They heard his footsteps and beckoned him in. "Squall!" Selphie piped. "Look at this!"

The scarred brunette walked into the room and stood next to them. "What?" he demanded.

Selphie giggled and pointed to the panel above them. Squall lifted his gaze and looked at the fresco on the wall. His eyes widened slightly.

"Wonder what that means..." Irvine mumbled. "I don't get it."

The sorceress in the frescos was standing and holding something in her hands. It was a white ball, probably symbolizing magic. Behind her was a tall, shadowy figure. Their bodies were close and touching as his arms held hers in place as she held the white ball.

Squall's mind lapsed back to what seemed to happen just a split second ago.

_"At least I got to hold you in my arms one last time..." _

He could feel her heart beating against his chest as her hands held on to his arms tightly. Even as he was fading, he could feel the warm drops from her eyes sear the skin of his arms. "I love you..." she whispered.

He leaned forward and whispered the words he would grace her with. "I love you, Rinoa."

"Squall," Selphie's voice cut through his senses and he shook his head slightly. He turned to look at her, a slightly confused look on his face. Selphie sighed. "I was asking you what you thought...?" she restated.

Squall looked back up at the panel. He nodded and turned around. "That's where the sorceress and her knight become one."

Selphie took a step forward. "Squall!" she called out once more. The male stopped as he was about to exit, his hand on the door way. Selphie chewed on her bottom lip before continuing. "Do you..." she paused, making sure she would say what she wanted to say. "Do you feel her? Here?"

Squall's hand gripped the doorway tighter, but Selphie and the others could not read his face. A cool wind blew into the now empty tomb, blowing Squall's bangs out of his eyes. His hand loosened it's hold. "I don't think..." Squall mumbled. "She ever left me."

* * *

"Bird watchers from all over Gaia have come to Centra to watch the migration of thought to be endangered snow white cranes fly over the area," the pretty young woman on the television reported happily. "This amazing occurrence is a natural phenomenon and scientists have yet to determine why exactly a massive migration of cranes is flying to Centra." 

Squall lifted the porcelain mug of coffee to his lips and took an appreciative drink. He inhaled the scent as he moved the mug away. His eyes moved over to the clock on his kitchen wall before putting his drink down.

A smooth motion placed the mug on to a small plate as his other arm extended and picked up the remote from the table. Quietly, he turned off the television and stopped himself from scoffing at the new reporter's naivete. He stood up and pushed his chair underneath the table as he glanced down at the folded newspaper on the counter.

_Centran Crane Myth: The Legend Behind the Cranes_ the headline read. Squall chuckled. The newspaper claimed that the old Centran story was created to explain the crane migration phenomenon that had happened many millennia ago by ancient Centrans. However, there was a logical reason that had yet to be discovered that would explain the migration.

According to the myth, there were once immortals who lived in a floating city. But their city was attacked and destroyed. The immortals turned into cranes and flew all over the world until a new city was created in the sky. Then, cranes from all over the world migrated for weeks to return to their 'home'.

Squall grabbed his car keys as he headed out the door. Little did the mortals know, the myth was far from fiction. What they thought were cranes were illusions. They were immortals. Immortals flying from all over the world to return home to the newly arisen Centra. For a year now, they had been arriving. A few at first, then large groups as it had been recently.

Squall stepped outside, tugging his leather jacket around himself as he looked around. He looked up at the blue, white cloud speckled sky, and saw the flocks of 'cranes' flying towards the immortal city hidden to the mortal eye. He walked down the steps of his home to his car.

After assisting reorganizing the immortal city, he had returned to his home atop the hill in mortal Centra. A strong part of him wished to search the world for Rinoa, but an even stronger part kept him where he was. The entire city beat with Rinoa's heart, but it wasn't enough for him.

Deep in his own heart, he just KNEW she was out there. He didn't know where, but knew that Rinoa was physically there...somewhere. But he didn't go search for her. She called to him at night, in his dreams. Telling him to wait for her. That she would be there if he just waited.

"How long...?" he murmured under his breath as he drove out of the gates of his house. "How long must I wait?"

Frustration brought him to the point where he had to leave the immortal city. He opted to live in his mortal abode, claiming to finish tying up 'loose ends'. The others bought it, having him take care of concealing what happened to them and more importantly where they went.

He fell into the roll of immigration services as he helped immortals close the chapter of their 'mortal' lives peacefully before disappearing back into Centra. Almost all the immortals that had left had returned, although he knew that some opted to stay with the lives they had created in the mortal world.

He looked at his watch. Ellone was supposed to arrive at the train station in town soon. The immortal prophet had been a messenger. She had traveled all over Gaia in the last year, spreading the word to other immortals that they once again had a sky city to call home. Now she arrived in an inconspicuous way.

Part of him believed that his sister just wanted to take a train ride. He smiled to himself as he drove through the city. It was packed with amateur and professional bird watchers, scientists, and nature documentary film makers. For the last few months, the crowds had not thinned out and the locales had started to become annoyed.

Even he was starting to consider moving back to immortal Centra. He had a home awaiting for him as well as his friends and even his father, who was at that moment earnestly waiting the arrival of Ellone to the immortal city.

Squall pulled into the parking lot of the train station and got out. He closed the door and walked towards the platform to wait for her. As he walked past the row of out door cafes and bistros that catered to the tourist the moment they got off the train, he heard a familiar voice.

"And your birthday?" a female voice asked.

"March eight." a cheerful female voice giggled. Squall froze as his blood ran cold in his veins.

"And the year?" the first female asked. There was a pause.

"Oh, I'm old..." the second female groaned. "Come closer..." Squall turned his head and saw his sister sitting on one of the outdoor tables with another person. They were both off their chairs and leaning forward.

Ellone listened as the girl she was reading a fortune to told her the year. "Oh...that's not old!" Ellone laughed as they sat back down.

"Well...yeah...but..." the other girl trailed off. Ellone looked over the scroll she had unraveled. Squall recognized her voice. He KNEW her voice. "Well?"

"You were born under a lucky star," Ellone explained as she pointed it out on the scroll. The other girl leaned over and looked over the table. "You'll live a happy life." she assured her.

The other girl smiled and let out a heavy breath. "Finally..." she whispered softly. Ellone smiled warmly and looked up. She saw Squall standing there, an unreadable expression on his face.

"Ah! My brother is here!" Ellone said as she stood up. The other girl stood up as well, her short creme colored dress resting at her thighs. Dark strands of hair were layered around her head, caressing the smooth skin of her strapless shoulders and back as Ellone waved Squall over.

His feet suddenly felt like cement as he took a step forward. He swallowed as his palms felt damp at his sides. Ellone put money on the table to pay for their drinks. Squall approached reluctantly. Silently, he prayed that he wasn't dreaming. He prayed that it wasn't an illusion put forth by his lonely heart.

She turned around, highlighted bangs swinging in the golden sun as she smiled towards him. His face immediately softened as he saw her. Her arms were outstretched as she ran into him and threw her arms around his neck. "Squall...!" she said as he breathed in his comforting scent. She closed her eyes tightly as her fingers dung into the soft white material around the collar of his jacket.

Shaking arms went around her body as he pulled her close to him. His eyes closed slightly as he caressed her hair softly. "I waited..." he told her softly as his arms tightened around her, as if trying to assure himself that she was real.

She smiled as her head buried itself against his strong chest. "I'm sorry I was late..." she murmured weakly as he felt his shirt grow damp from her joyful tears. She looked up at him and smiled. "I'm ready to go home now."

* * *

"And the sorceress lifted her hands and cupped her handsome knight's face as she pulled him down. She placed a warm, loving kiss on his lips and then together, they flew up to Centra..." the woman said as she sat on the edge of the children's bed.  
's bed.

Several pairs of sleepy eyes looked up at her. A pair of large emerald eyes blinked. "Matron..."  
she said with a yawn. "Do they live happily ever after?"

"Yes, Selphie...they do." Matron said as she stood up and walked over to the shelf. She pushed the book  
into it's place on the book shelf.

"When I grow up, I want to be a knight!" a little blond boy said as he pulled his blankets up higher  
and smiled arrogantly. "I bet I can be the BEST!"

"I'm sure you will be, Seifer," Matron said as she walked over to the door way. "Good night, children."

"G'night, Matron..." the children chorused. She flicked off the lights and closed the door.

"Seifer...you really going to be a knight?" Irvine asked, unsurely from his bed. Zell was snoring  
in the bed next to him, sprawled out in a weird angle after having knocked out half way through the story.

"Psh...of course!" Seifer said. "Better than you...and chicken-wuss...and HIM." He turned his head  
and glared at the little brown haired, blue eyed boy already asleep in the bed next to him.

"Stop it and go to sleep!" Quistis' stern childish voice rang out from the other end of the room.  
"And don't be naive, Seifer! It's only a story!"

Seifer snorted and closed his eyes. "Just you wait, Quisty!" he added.

Ellone sighed from her larger bed at the end of the room. "You never know, Quistis," Ellone yawned as a  
knowing smile caressed her sleepy face. "Myths always have a basis in reality..."

**THE END**

Completed notes and thank yous at my LJ under the date of 7/18/04.

GENERAL THANK YOU - to everyone who took time to read this story. I hope it entertained you even  
just a little. If you have any questions, don't hesitate to email me! I'm always glad to answer  
them. Thank so much for your support and reviews and especially your interest and time.  
Much Love Always,  
- PasifiKStaR


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